UK politics with Andrew Walter; Marina Benjamin On The Unsung, Unseen, Undone Work Of Women; How Music Can Powerfully Evoke Nature And The Sublime

Professor Andrew Walter from the University of Melbourne stops by to discuss the recent developments in Scotland with the shock resignation of long-serving First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. He also looks at the latest in UK politics and the Northern Ireland Protocol negotiations with the European Union.

Acclaimed London-based writer Marina Benjamin speaks in-depth about her latest memoir, A Little Give: the unsung, unseen, undone work of women (Scribe). Marina talks about these interlinked essays and verse, in which she examines in her own life the tasks once termed, ‘women’s work’. From cooking and cleaning to caring for an ageing relative, Marina shows this kind of unsung and invisible caring work is a site of paradox and conflict, but also of solace and meaning. Marina's previous books include, Insomnia, The Middlepause, Rocket Dreams, and Last Days in Babylon. She is senior editor of Aeon Magazine.

Musicologist Dr David Larkin speaks with host Amy Mullins as he explores Richard Strauss's epic and powerful tone poem, An Alpine Symphony (Eine Alpensinfonie) and shows how music can represent and evoke nature and the sublime. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra are to perform this majestic single movement tone poem on March 2 and 3 in Melbourne. With musical excerpts, David shares how Strauss depicts a waterfall, a flowery meadow with cows, a sunrise, a thunderstorm, a hiker reaching an alpine summit, an experience of the sublime, and much more. He explains the historical, philosophical and musical context Strauss wrote and premiered it in and its critical reception across the years. He also gives us some insight into the ideas Strauss had about the meaning of certain sections. David Larkin is a Senior Lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and is a specialist in German music of the nineteenth century. Read his pieces on An Alpine Symphony in the Conversation and Nineteenth-Century Music Review.

To listen to the full interview as it aired with the music included, listen to the feature segment here on the 3RRR website.

To listen to the music at home alongside the podcast, here is the tracklist of music aired (in order) from YouTube and Spotify:

• Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64 - 1. Nacht (Night), Sir Georg Solti
• Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64 - 2. Sonnenaufgang (Sunrise), Sir Georg Solti
• Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64 - 3. Der Anstieg (The Ascent), MSO live [2016]
• Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64 - 6. Am Wasserfall (At the waterfall), Sir Georg Solti
• Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64 - 7. Erscheinung (Apparition), Sir Georg Solti
• Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64 - 9. Auf der Alm (On the mountain pasture), MSO live [2016]
• Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64 - 13. Auf dem Gipfel (On the summit), MSO live [2016]
• Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64 - 19. Gewitter und Sturm, Abstieg (Thunder and Storm, Descent), MSO live [2016]