A Gardener's World Alessandro Fisher & Anna Tilbrook

• Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828): Die Blumensprache, D. 519:
• 1 Schubert: Die Blumensprache, D. 519 02:32
• Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847): 6 Gesänge, Op. 19a:
• 2 Mendelssohn: 6 Gesänge, Op. 19a: No. 2, Das erste Veilchen, MWV K 63 03:01
• Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856): Myrthen, Op. 25:
• 3 Schumann: Myrthen, Op. 25: No. 7, Die Lotosblume 01:50
• Clara Schumann (1819 - 1896): Das Veilchen:
• 4 Schumann: Das Veilchen 01:48
• Robert Schumann: 6 Gedichte von N. Lenau und Requiem, Op. 90:
• 5 Schumann: 6 Gedichte von N. Lenau und Requiem, Op. 90: No. 2, Meine Rose 03:37
• Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957): 6 Sånger, Op. 88 "Flower Songs":
• 6 Sibelius: 6 Sånger, Op. 88 "Flower Songs": No. 1, Blåsippan 00:45
• 7 Sibelius: 6 Sånger, Op. 88 "Flower Songs": No. 2, De bägge rosorna 01:30
• 8 Sibelius: 6 Sånger, Op. 88 "Flower Songs": No. 3, Vitsippan 01:21
• 9 Sibelius: 6 Sånger, Op. 88 "Flower Songs": No. 4, Sippan 01:02
• 10 Sibelius: 6 Sånger, Op. 88 "Flower Songs": No. 5, Törnet 02:21
• 11 Sibelius: 6 Sånger, Op. 88 "Flower Songs": No. 6, Blommans öde 01:48
• Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924): 2 Songs, Op. 1:
• 12 Fauré: 2 Songs, Op. 1: No. 1, Le Papillon et la Fleur 02:27
• Ernest Chausson (1855 - 1899): 7 Mélodies, Op. 2:
• 13 Chausson: 7 Mélodies, Op. 2: No. 3, Les Papillons 01:32
• Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963): Fiançailles pour rire, FP 101:
• 14 Poulenc: Fiançailles pour rire, FP 101: No. 6, Fleurs 02:53
• Eduard Toldrà (1895 - 1962): A l'ombra del lledoner:
• 15 Toldrà: A l'ombra del lledoner: No. 1, A l'ombra del lledoner 03:49
• Menta i farigola:
• 16 Toldrà: Menta i farigola 00:54
• Floreix l'ametller:
• 17 Toldrà: Floreix l'ametller 01:43
• Carlos Gustavino (1912 - 2000): La rosa y el sauce:
• 18 Gustavino: La rosa y el sauce 03:37
• Flores Argentina:
• 19 Gustavino: Flores Argentina: No. 1, Cortadera, plumerito 03:01
• Muriel Herbert (1897 - 1984): Violets:
• 20 Herbert: Violets 01:55
• To Daffodils:
• 21 Herbert: To Daffodils 02:51
• Edward Elgar (1857 - 1934): The Language of Flowers:
• 22 Elgar: The Language of Flowers 04:12
• Wood Haydn (1882 - 1959): Love's Garden of Roses:
• 23 Haydn: Love's Garden of Roses 03:52
• Donald Swann (1923 - 1994), Michael Flanders (1922 - 1975): At the Drop of a Hat:
• 24 Swann, Flanders: At the Drop of a Hat: Misalliance 04:16
• Total Runtime 58:37

Info for A Gardener's World

One of the nicer side effects of the lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic was spending more time alone in nature. This was certainly the case for tenor Alessandro Fisher: the time he was able to enjoy in the garden with his wife inspired the singer to write this album. In many art songs, flowers symbolise human emotions, and love in particular. For some composers, the short-lived splendour of flowers is also an allegory of the transience of romantic love. The recording was made at a BBC Radio 3 concert in London's Wigmore Hall in 2021.

Alessandro Fisher, tenor
Anna Tilbrook, piano

Alessandro Fisher
Holder of a 2022 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship, Selected by Gramophone as “One To Watch”, Winner of First Prize at the 2016 Kathleen Ferrier Awards and an Associate Artist of The Mozartists, Alessandro Fisher was a member of the BBC New Generation Artist Scheme between 2018 and 2021. He read Modern and Medieval Languages at Cambridge, where he was a Choral Scholar at Clare College, furthering his studies at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

His operatic engagements have included Delmiro / Alindo Hipermestra at the Glyndebourne Festival, Lucano / First Soldier L’Incoronazione di Poppea at the Salzburg Festival, Don Polidoro La finta semplice and Christian The First Commandment for The Mozartists, Bellecourt Vert Vert for Garsington Opera, the title role Dardanus and the B Minor Mass for English Touring Opera, Law Student in Matthew Rogers’ And London Burned for the Temple Church and Count Bandiera in Salieri’s La scuola de’ gelosi for Bampton Classical Opera. For Glyndebourne Opera’s Jerwood Project, he sang Banquo in Luke Styles’ Macbeth at Glyndebourne and in the Linbury Studio Theatre of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

Career highlights have further included Fabio Berenice for the Royal Opera, London, Bastien Bastien und Bastienne for The Mozartists, Fenton Falstaff for The Grange Festival, Britten War Requiem in Lincoln Cathedral, Monteverdi Vesperae della beate Vergine with La Nuova Musica, Roussel Evocations with the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, Saint-Saëns Christmas Oratorio and Schubert Mass in G with the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, Vaughan Williams On Wenlock Edge with the BBC Philharmonic The Complete Songs of Clara Schumann at St John’s, Smith Square, with JongSun Woo at the Hay Festival, with Sholto Kynoch for the Cheltenham, North Norfolk Music and Oxford Lieder Festivals and with Joseph Middleton at the Wigmore Hall. At the Wigmore Hall, he also appeared with Graham Johnson in Covid’s Metamorphoses to celebrate the 120th Anniversary of the Hall and with Anna Tilbrook in A Gardener’s World. He made his BBC Proms debut singing Songs by Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha with Stephen Hough.

Recent engagements have included Osvaldo in Mercadante’s Il Proscritto for Opera Rara, for whom he also gave a Salon Series recital, the B Minor Mass with the New London Orchestra, Britten Les Illuminations with the Ulster Orchestra, Elias at the Stadttheater Klagenfurt, Vaughan Williams Symphony No. 3 and On Wenlock Edge with the BBC Philharmonic, First Brother The Seven Deadly Sins on tour with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle (London, Cologne, Essen), Green Spaces: A Celebration in Song for Opera Holland Park and a New Generation Artist Recital at Stoller Hall. At the Wigmore Hall, he also appeared in A Home for All Seasons and, with The Mozartists, The Swinging Sixties.

Current engagements include Ferrando Così fan tutte for The Grange Festival, Berlioz L’Enfance du Christ at the Wimbledon Festival, Donizetti Requiem with Orchestra della Svizerra Italiana, Mendelssohn Die erste Walpurgisnacht with Huddersfield Choral Society, Mozart Mass in C Minor with Royal Northern Sinfonia, Sørensen‘s St Matthew Passion with Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Vaughan Williams On Wenlock Edge with Nash Ensemble, a Donizetti recital with Anna Tilbrook for Opera Rara, a recital with Simon Lepper for the NI Glenarm Festival of Voice and Magic Lantern Tales at the Beverley Chamber Music Festival. For Oxford International Song Festival, he appears in The Mendelssohns and at The Wigmore Hall he appears in 1774 – A Retrospective with The Mozartists and in recital with Libby Burgess.

His BBC broadcasts have included Britten’s Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo with Joseph Middleton, Finzi’s Dies Natalis with the BBC Symphony Orchestra Strings conducted by Martyn Brabbins and Farewell to Arms with the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Anna-Maria Helsing, Songs by Bellini, Donizetti, Tosti and Verdi and Hahn’s Venezia with Garry Matthewman, Michael Head’s Over the rim of the moon with Ashok Gupta, Songs by Lorca and Rodrigo with Thibaut Garcia, Vaughan Williams’ Four Hymns with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Martyn Brabbins and Nordic Tales (Songs by de Frumerie, Delius, Grieg and Schumann) with Roger Vignoles, the last live broadcast from the Wigmore Hall before the March 2020 lockdown.

His recordings include Theodore in Edward Loder’s Raymond and Agnes with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia conducted by Richard Bonynge and Harlequin in Ethel Smyth’s Fête Galante with Lontano conducted by Odaline de la Martinez for Retrospect Opera, L’Incoronazione di Poppea with Les Arts Florissants directed by William Christie for Harmonia Mundi CD / DVD, Mercadante’s Il proscritto for Opera Rara,Bastien und Bastienne with The Mozartists conducted by Ian Page on Signum CD (Nominated for a 2019 International Classical Music Award) and Roussel’s Evocations with the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Yan-Pascal Tortelier for Chandos.

Booklet for A Gardener's World