Can classical provide hope to the imprisoned?

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So, Hear Me Out – the classical music podcast

Southbank Centre

10 episodes

4 days ago

So, Hear Me Out is a brand new podcast from London’s Southbank Centre, exploring the big questions around classical music — and why it still matters today. Join hosts Linton Stephens (musician, broadcaster and Deputy Artistic Director of Chineke! Orchestra) and Gillian Moore (writer, broadcaster and Artistic Associate at Southbank Centre) as they challenge assumptions, unpick controversies, and share fresh ways of listening to the music you thought you knew. Each episode starts with a question — from “can classical music be laugh-out-loud funny?” to “is it okay to borrow instruments and styles from other cultures?” — and opens the door to two hand-picked pieces of music. Some you’ll recognise instantly, others might be brand new to you, but all will spark new perspectives. Expect surprising connections, plenty of feeling (not just theory), the occasional detour to Gillian’s piano, and a warm invitation into the classical world — no PhD required.

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Can classical provide hope to the imprisoned? | So, Hear Me Out

So, Hear Me Out – the classical music podcast

45 minutes 18 seconds

2 months ago

Can classical provide hope to the imprisoned? | So, Hear Me Out

Can music provide hope when freedom has been taken away? Ethel Smyth’s March of the Women rang out as a rallying cry for imprisoned suffragettes, its rhythms defiant and unifying. Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, composed and first performed in a Nazi POW camp in 1941, fused faith, birdsong, and dazzling visions of colour into music that offered hope and transcendence to prisoners and guards alike.

Gillian Moore and Linton Stephens explore how these works — and many others — testify to the resilience of creativity. Gillian also recalls her own encounters with music behind bars, where moments of song broke down walls both physical and emotional.

Episode highlights

00:00 Welcome to So Hear Me Out

02:03 Exploring music's role in prisons

03:42 Personal experiences with music in prisons

08:33 Introducing Ethel Smyth's March of the Women

11:33 The impact and legacy of March of the Women

21:12 More notable music behind bars

22:38 The iconic title and its significance

23:14 Introduction to Olivier Messiaen

24:24 The Quartet for the End of Time: background and composition

24:57 A unique orchestration and instrumentation

27:55 Messiaen's religious and natural inspirations

29:14 The First Movement: Abyss of the Birds

32:27 Synesthesia and Messiaen's colorful music

39:27 The first performance in the prison camp

40:56 The emotional heart of The Quartet…

44:46 Music as emancipation and resistance

46:23 Closing thoughts and farewell

Featured music:

Quartet for the End of Time (1941) Olivier Messiaen
March of the Women (1910) Ethel Smyth