Tall Poppies The Podcast

By Breandáin O'Shea

Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Mel Gibson. That Hollywood spotlight ensures that most of us know the name of these celebrity Aussies, but what about those many other Australians who have forged impr... more

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FAQs about Tall Poppies The Podcast:

How many episodes does Tall Poppies The Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 28 episodes available.

Tall Poppies The Podcast episodes:

August 17, 2024 Hector McDonald: French Horn Legend
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“I’m very happy I came from Australia. I think it gives you a down-to-earth outlook. Living here in Vienna, you encounter many people who are quite privileged, having grown up in musical families and playing in string quartets since they were little. I envy them, but I wouldn’t trade my own start for anything.”

Join us as we explore the extraordinary career of Hector McDonald, one of the most celebrated French horn players of our time. From his early days in Australia to his prestigious role with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and Concentus Musicus Wien, Hector’s journey is one of talent, dedication, and global acclaim. In this podcast, Hector shares stories from his illustrious career, collaborations with legendary conductors, and his contributions to the world of classical music.
Tune in to Tall Poppies: The Podcast for an inspiring conversation that celebrates the life and legacy of this remarkable Australian musician. Don’t miss it!

For more episodes of Tall Poppies: The Podcast, highlighting remarkable Australians making waves globally, visit https://www.tall-poppies.com/.
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49min
April 21, 2023 Poetry Special with Alice Miller & Matthew McDonald
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The poets Matthew McDonald and Alice Miller join Breandáin O'Shea to talk about poetry and ponder music's curious relationship with the spoken word.
For more episodes of Tall Poppies: The Podcast, highlighting remarkable Australians making waves globally, visit https://www.tall-poppies.com/.
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1h 0min
January 14, 2023 Alma Moodie Part II
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This is the second of two podcasts featuring the life and music of Alma Moodie.
Moodie was born in rural Australia, but moved to Europe early last century and eventually became a student of the legendary Carl Flesch, who referred to her as his favourite student. The violinist collaborated with renowned composers, among them Stravinsky, Pfitzner and Reger, and cultivated friendships with aristocracy, philanthropists and artists including German poet Rainer Maria Rilke. Alma Moodie’s influence and fame were far reaching, well beyond her untimely death in 1943.
Guests include the Australian musicologist and historian Kay Dreyfus, who published “Bluebeard’s Bride”, a biography of Alma Moodie in 2013. More recently Kay edited “The Fractured Self”, a book featuring 270 letters from the Moodie collection. Also joining me are musicians Diana Weekes, who translated Moodie’s letters, and violinist Goetz Richter, Associate Professor at the University of Sydney’s Conservatorium of Music. We will also meet historian Michael Haas, author of “Forbidden Music,” a study of the Jewish composers and musicians banned by the Third Reich.

For more episodes of Tall Poppies: The Podcast, highlighting remarkable Australians making waves globally, visit https://www.tall-poppies.com/.
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1h 1min
January 14, 2023 Alma Moodie Part I
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This is part I of two podcasts featuring the life and music of Alma Moodie.
She was born in 1898 in rural Australia, and moved to Europe early last century. She became a student of the legendary Carl Flesch, who referred to her as his favourite student. The violinist collaborated with renowned composers, among them Stravinsky, Pfitzner and Reger, and cultivated friendships with aristocracy, philanthropists and the poet Rainer Maria Rilke.
Alma Moodie’s influence and fame were far reaching, well beyond her untimely death in 1943.
In this podcast we meet the Australian musicologist and historian Kay Dreyfus, who published “Bluebeard’s Bride”, a biography of Alma Moodie in 2013. More recently Kay edited “The Fractured Self”, a book featuring 270 letters from the Moodie collection. Also joining me are musicians Diana Weekes, who translated Moodie’s letters, and violinist Goetz Richter, Associate Professor at the University of Sydney’s Conservatorium of Music. Goetz has researched and performed many of the pieces associated with Moodie during her lifetime. Two of his recordings of Moodie inspired works also featured in the podcast.

For more episodes of Tall Poppies: The Podcast, highlighting remarkable Australians making waves globally, visit https://www.tall-poppies.com/.
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1h 0min
November 10, 2021 Liza Lim, Composer
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On this episode of Tall Poppies, The Podcast Breandáin meets the composer Liza Lim. She is Professor of Composition at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where she also runs the Composing Women Program.Liza has created compositions for many of the world’s leading orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, and the SuedwestRundfunk Orchestra and her music has been featured at many notable festivals.She was born in Perth, but spent much of her childhood in Brunei. Liza attended boarding school in Melbourne, and then completed her tertiary studies in Australia. Among her numerous accolades are the Don Banks Award for Music and the 2021 Hans and Gertrud Zender Foundation’s Composition Prize 'Happy New Ears'. For 2021/22 Liza Lim is a Fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin or Institute of Advanced Study.
For more episodes of Tall Poppies: The Podcast, highlighting remarkable Australians making waves globally, visit https://www.tall-poppies.com/.
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1h 1min
April 30, 2021 Matthew McDonald, Principal Bass Berlin Philharmonic
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In this edition, Matthew tells Breandáin about his journey from Canberra to becoming a principal player with one the world’s most prestigious music ensembles. He reflects on the effects the current pandemic has had on musicians and shares a hilarious story about taking a swim at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on his way to perform a Mahler Symphony with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
For more episodes of Tall Poppies: The Podcast, highlighting remarkable Australians making waves globally, visit https://www.tall-poppies.com/.
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1h 2min
April 29, 2020 Matthew Larkum, Neuroscientist
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Away from the challenges the world is facing during this pandemic, we are also living through another one of the greatest of scientific endeavours – that is - the attempt to understand the most complex object in the universe, the brain. Researchers are devoting massive amounts of time and energy to exploring what brains do and new technology is enabling them to both describe and manipulate that activity. It came as a surprise to discover that here in Germany, one of the country’s leading neuroscientists is Sydney-born Matthew Larkum, who heads the Larkum Laboratory at Humboldt University, Berlin. He joins Breandáin O’Shea on this episode of Tall Poppies: The Podcast.
For more episodes of Tall Poppies: The Podcast, highlighting remarkable Australians making waves globally, visit https://www.tall-poppies.com/.
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1h 8min
March 09, 2020 Stanley Dodds - Violinist and Conductor
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Stanley Dodds grew up in Adelaide and has been a violinist with the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra since the early 90s. He is also a conductor and frequently directs ensembles of the Berlin Philharmonic and in 2014 was appointed Principal Conductor of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra. He is dedicated to working with youth and amateur orchestras and is in charge of the Berlin Philharmonic Schools Orchestra Concert and Youth Composition Workshop. Stan Dodds is also a member of the Berlin Philharmonic executive board.
For more episodes of Tall Poppies: The Podcast, highlighting remarkable Australians making waves globally, visit https://www.tall-poppies.com/.
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1h 26min
January 31, 2020 Gail Jones, Author
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Gail Jones one of Australia's most celebrated writers who has a special place in her heart for Berlin. At home, her work has received several major accolades including the 2019 Australian Prime Minister's prize for literature, while abroad Gail's fiction has been translated into fifteen languages and long-listed for esteemed prizes, such as the Man Booker Prize and the Orange Prize.
For more episodes of Tall Poppies: The Podcast, highlighting remarkable Australians making waves globally, visit https://www.tall-poppies.com/.
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55min
September 02, 2019 Tall Poppies Postcard: Remembering Joan Sutherland (1926 -2010)
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Not many opera singers could match the achievements of the Australian soprano, Joan Sutherland. Her brilliant career stretched over four decades and the legendary singer was celebrated in opera houses and concert halls around the world. Yet, despite her worldwide fame and the many international honours she received during her lifetime, Joan Sutherland remained unaffected by it all.Breandáin met Dame Joan in 2000, during the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Belgium, and recorded this interview.
For more episodes of Tall Poppies: The Podcast, highlighting remarkable Australians making waves globally, visit https://www.tall-poppies.com/.
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15min

FAQs about Tall Poppies The Podcast:

How many episodes does Tall Poppies The Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 28 episodes available.