Ludwig Berger
In the Ear of the Valley
Radio documentary

The radio documentary portrays the artist Josephine Dickinson in the North Pennines uplands of Cumbria. Deaf since childhood, she has developed a distinct way of listening that shapes both her life and her work. Everyday scenes—feeding animals, walking by the river, playing the carillon and the organ—are interwoven with her poems and reflections. The open form echoes her perception of her surroundings and her eventful life. The piece reflects on place and belonging, changes in the local ecology, and on listening beyond the ear.

50 min, SWR Kultur 2025

Main jury prize at the Berlin Radio Play Festival 2025 (Langes Brennende Mikrofon, Berliner Hörspielfestival)

“Best Acoustic Concept” at the Leipzig Hörspielsommer 2025

Texts, organ music and carillon: Josephine Dickinson

Voice (German): Susanne Heydenreich

Texts: excerpts from Alphabetula, Down Two Fields (from Silence Fell), The Touch (from The Voice), Earth Journey, My Answers to the Questions Posed by Ilya Kaminsky, and Some Occasional Notes on My Total Deafness, Tinnitus and Beyond

Organ pieces: Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten and Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier by Johann Sebastian Bach
Carillon pieces: Eleanor Plunkett (after Turlough O’Carolan, James Cody and Simon Chadwick), and the melody of the Seikilos Epitaph
Harp piece: Limerick’s Lamentation, played by Simon Chadwick

Editorial work: Michael Lissek
Collaboration: Florian Fischer
Thanks to: Laura Harrington

SWR Radio 2025