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Isabella Tree

Michael Berkeley's guest is author and travel writer Isabella Tree.

Isabella Tree is an author and travel writer. Her award-winning book Wilding: the Return of Nature to a British Farm, describes how she and her conservationist husband Charlie decided after many generations of intensive dairy and arable farming to undertake a pioneering experiment. They would rewild their 3,500 acre estate, Knepp in West Sussex – returning it to nature.

Using herds of free-roaming animals to create new habitats, their rewilded land is now – more than 20 years later - a haven for wildlife and rare species like turtle-doves, nightingales and purple emperor butterflies. The estate has become central to the debate about how we look after and regenerate the land.

Isabella is also a travel journalist and has written books about her journeys to Nepal, Mexico and Papua New Guinea. Her music choices include works by Schubert, Handel, Bach but also compositions made in response to the Knepp estate.

Available now

39 minutes

Last on

Sun 9 Jul 2023 12:00

Music Played

  • George Frideric Handel

    He was despised (Messiah)

    Singer: Alice Coote. Orchestra: Academy of Ancient Music. Conductor: Stephen Cleobury.
    • Handel: Messiah.
    • Warner Classics.
    • 22.
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Clarinet Quintet in A, K.581 - 4th mvt (conclusion)

    Performer: Nicholas Carpenter. Ensemble: Brindisi Quartet.
    • Mozart: Chamber Quartets.
    • Warner Classics.
    • 18.
  • Sam Lee

    Turtle Dove

    • Old Wow.
    • Cooking Vinyl.
    • 7.
  • Duo Ji, Lobsanf Tsering, Lhamo Dhondrub, Sonam Topgyal & Pema Drolka

    Chanting Nuns

    • Authentic Tibet 2.
    • Sonoton.
    • 18.
  • Members of the Bernardi Music Group

    White Storks String Octet (final part)

    • Bernardi Music Group performing at Shipley Arts Festival during lockdown 2020 vi.
    • 1.
  • Richard Durrant

    Big Fat Earthworm

    • Rewilding.
    • The Burning Deck.
    • 6.
  • Franz Schubert

    Piano Quintet in A, "Trout" (4th mvt)

    Ensemble: Melos Ensemble.
    • Icon: Melos Ensemble.
    • Warner Classics.
    • 108.
  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Ich habe genug (Cantata No 82)

    Singer: Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. Orchestra: Orchestra of Emmanuel Music. Conductor: Craig Smith.
    • NONESUCH.

Broadcast

  • Sun 9 Jul 2023 12:00

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