Under the Fig Tree
Andrew Blanch and I were excited to be invited by Rachel Bruerville to perform a work for her new album.
'Under the Fig Tree – Music for serenity, strength, and joy', released on Friday 25 July 2025, is my debut album of instrumental chamber music.
The first three tracks are new classical guitar and harp duets, written for and performed by pioneering Australian duo, Andrew Blanch and Emily Granger. This set of three pieces, also entitled 'Under the Fig Tree', honours three generations of strong women in my immediate family (grandmother Brigid, mother Hilary, and twin sister Chloe).
The other six tracks include: two string quartet arrangements of choral pieces from 2013 and 2019; three tracks featuring cello and/or bassoon, performed by the dynamic duo of Anna Pokorny and Jack Schiller (Principal Bassoon, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra); and a string quartet version of my popular string orchestra piece, 'Dancing on Tiptoes', originally commissioned by the Hush Foundation.
The theme of the album – Music for serenity, strength, and joy – is inspired by the dedicatee of track one: my grandmother Brigid Bruer (1933–2019), who felt the serenity in my musical language. The title comes from Brigid’s experience of musical synesthesia – the colour of figs (B major), and the colour of leaves (E major).
Tracklist:
1. Under the Fig Tree: I. For Brigid 04:00
2. Under the Fig Tree: II. For Hilary 02:43
3. Under the Fig Tree: III. For Chloe 02:29
4. The Violet (String Quartet Version) 05:11
5. Lost (String Quartet Version) 04:28
6. Greening 05:00
7. River 01:32
8. Song of the Wombat 03:18
9. Dancing on Tiptoes (String Quartet Version) 03:09