Between the Ears Folgen

The patterns and flows of life in the NHS captured in immersive stereo, with specially commissioned music sung by NHS staff and The Bach Choir.In the maternity unit at Birmingham's Heartlands Hospital, the heart rate of an unborn child gives cause for concern. Across town at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, patients with critical heart conditions are closely monitored hour by hour. Downstairs in A&E, staff begin their shift not knowing what awaits them. Between the Ears marks the 70th anniversary of the NHS with a unique composition depicting two Birmingham hospitals as they care for patients from cradle to grave. In four movements, the rhythms of the health service are accompanied by a special choral work written by award winning composer Alex Woolf, an alumnus of the BBC's Proms Inspire Scheme. The NHS Symphony is recorded in binaural stereo which simulates how the human ear hears sounds. For a fully immersive experience, the programme is best listened to on headphones.The Bach Choir are joined by members of the Barts Choir, the Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Choir and the Royal Free Music Society ChoirConductor: Mark AustinSolo soprano: Julia BlinkoComposer/pianist: Alex Woolf Producer: Laurence Grissell.

You can never see through someone else's eyes, but can we, by stealth, tap into people's visual imaginations?The mind's eye is something most of us take for granted - the 'secret cinema' inside our mind, turning sounds into shapes, characters into faces - it sometimes seems like a sixth sense. For those who have it. Constantly viewing our own personal visuals, we are powerless to control it, and no one else can see it but us. "A man hitting his head with a bible" or "A tree being chopped down"? "A row of frogs" or "The bulging eyes of Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange"Using a series of soundscapes, we hear the visual musings of a range of people: an architect, a school boy, a DJ, an artist amongst them - playing with the way people's own personal experiences influence their mental pictures. But what about those who have no pictures in their brain? "In my late 20's I was on a management course doing a relaxation exercise, and they asked us to imagine dawn. And I thought dawn? Well I know it's pink. But I couldn't see it, I couldn't imagine it." Gill Morgan, doctorFirst recognised, but not named in 1880 by Francis Galton, aphantasia, as Professor of Cognitive and Behavioural Neurology Adam Zeman has recently called it, is being explored by neuroscientists around the world. It may affect 2% of the population, and studies have shown that there is a sliding scale of non-imagers. Some barely notice any difference in their relationship with their own personal history, but for others this may include an inability to recall life events. "From talking to close friends it became obvious to me that 'the mind's eye' was not a figure of speech, phrases like, 'it takes you back' exist because that's what they do". Nick Watkins, theoretical physicistEncouraging Radio 3 listeners to become aware of their own 'secret cinema', 'Between The Ears' trepans into the little grey cells that bring imagination to light - giving a glimpse inside the film-reel unspooling in our brains. Contributors: Professor Adam Zeman, Doctor Nick Watkins, Dame Gill Morgan, Michael BywaterThe voices of Susan Aldworth, Francesca Vinti, Luca Goodfellow, Emma Kilbey, Ford Hickson, Ian Goodfellow, Danny Webb and readings by John Dougall and Dilly Barlow. Soundscapes featuring Alexander Frater in Goa in the monsoonArtwork by kind permission of artist Susan Aldworth. Music sourced by Danny Webb. Producer: Sara Jane Hall.

When Ken Hollings underwent surgery at Moorfields Hospital for a detached retina he experienced an unexpected symphony inside his head, right between the ears. The sounds have haunted him ever since. Musician Martin McCarrick also found himself in a terrifying and unsettling world of head noise that began with a perforated eardrum and ended in a rare medical condition. He too has never forgotten the unexpected world of noise he heard between his ears and has set about recreating it. In this binaural edition of Between the Ears Ken Hollings goes in search of his primal sound.Producer: Mark Burman