So, Hear Me Out – the classical music podcast

• Are film and game soundtracks proper classical music? | So, Hear Me Out

  Using the examples of Mica Levi's score for the 2013 film 'Under the Skin' and the soundtrack from the video game 'Soulcalibur II', Gillian and Linton explore whether film soundtracks and video game scores should be considered true classical music.  Episode highlights:00:00 Introduction01:55 Debating the legitimacy of film and video game scores06:16 Exploring Mica Levi's score for 'Under the Skin'14:48 The genius of live Instruments and synthesised sounds23:16 Healing Winds from Soulcaliber II26:26 The evolution of game music35:51 The role of orchestras in game musicFeatured music:Mica Levi's Under the Skin (2014)Junichi Nakatsuru, Yoshihito Yano, Asuka Sakai, Rio Hamamoto, Ryuichi Takada, and Junichi Takagi's Soulcalibur 2 (2002)Get in touch:📩 Send your classical questions to ⁠[email protected]⁠Get updates on ⁠Instagram⁠Follow us on ⁠TikTok⁠⁠Subscribe to The Tonic newsletter⁠ for articles, video and audioAnd don’t forget to subscribe, like and comment, wherever you get your podcasts.Credits:Produced by Connor GaniExecutive Producers Emily Dicks and Phil SmithSound Mix by Solomon KingA Reduced Listening production for Southbank Centre

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• Can classical music make you happier? | So, Hear Me Out

  We deep dive into why and how classical music is able to capture pure joy in sound, featuring joyful pieces by Felix Mendelssohn and Francesca Caccini.Gillian and Linton discuss the innovative and emotional power of Mendelssohn's Octet in E Flat, written by the composer when he was just 16, and the hypnotic, rhythmically alive Chaconne by Cini, one of the first women composers in Europe to earn a living from her music.In this episode:00:00 Welcome to So Hear Me Out00:59 Today's Big Question: Why Does Classical Music Make Us Happy?01:19 Felix Mendelssohn: A Burst of Brilliance02:15 Nile Rodgers and the Joy of Music04:19 Mendelssohn's Musical Legacy08:43 The Joyful Octet in E Flat15:50 Mendelssohn's Signature Sound18:54 Mozart's Early Masterpieces19:42 Felix Mendelssohn's Emotional Journey21:56 Discovering Francesca Cini24:20 The Joy of Baroque Music35:00 The Science of Joy in Music38:44 Conclusion and FarewellFeatured music:Felix Mendelssohn's Octet in E FlatFrancesca Caccini’s ChaconneGet in touch:📩 Send your classical questions to [email protected] updates on InstagramFollow us on TikTokSubscribe to The Tonic newsletter for articles, video and audioAnd don’t forget to subscribe, like and comment, wherever you get your podcasts.CreditsProduced by Connor GaniExecutive Producers Emily Dicks and Phil SmithSound Mix by Solomon KingA Reduced Listening production for Southbank Centre

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• 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 highlights00:00 Welcome to So Hear Me Out02:03 Exploring music's role in prisons03:42 Personal experiences with music in prisons08:33 Introducing Ethel Smyth's March of the Women11:33 The impact and legacy of March of the Women21:12 More notable music behind bars22:38 The iconic title and its significance23:14 Introduction to Olivier Messiaen24:24 The Quartet for the End of Time: background and composition24:57 A unique orchestration and instrumentation27:55 Messiaen's religious and natural inspirations29:14 The First Movement: Abyss of the Birds32:27 Synesthesia and Messiaen's colorful music39:27 The first performance in the prison camp40:56 The emotional heart of The Quartet…44:46 Music as emancipation and resistance46:23 Closing thoughts and farewellFeatured music:Quartet for the End of Time (1941) Olivier MessiaenMarch of the Women (1910) Ethel Smyth

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• Is classical music just one big remix? | So, Hear Me Out

  Expect a whirlwind tour through Luciano Berio’s mashup masterpiece Sinfonia, complete with Mahler, Beckett, and a generous helping of 1960s political angst.Then it’s off to a galaxy far, far away to explore how Star Wars composer John Williams borrowed from the greats to create some of the most iconic music in film history (spoiler: Holst and Wagner would probably want royalties).In this episode of So Hear Me Out, your ever-curious hosts Gillian Moore and Linton Stephens dig into how classical music has been sampling, stealing from (sorry, paying homage to), and reinventing itself for centuries.This episode asks, is anything truly original? Do composers all have a secret sampling habit? And can reworking the past speak to the world today?In this episode:08:51 Luciano Berio’s Sinfonia Movement No. 313:43 Analyzing Berio's Sinfonia23:01 Intertextuality in music: Beckett, Mahler, and 196823:51 The radical politics of the 1960s in classical music24:28 Breaking the fourth wall in music25:28 A memorable performance at the Southbank Centre26:25 John Williams and the Influence of classical music29:22 The genius of John Williams: Star Wars and beyond31:46 Iconic melodies and orchestration techniques33:53 The familiar sound world of Star Wars37:19 The influence of classical composers on John Williams42:04 The brilliance of John Williams' scores47:29 Remixing and reworking classical music50:18 Closing thoughts and farewellChapters:00:04 - Introduction05:35 - Historical context of remixing in classical music13:48 - Berio's influences: The Beatles, Beckett, Mahler, and 196823:19 - Berio’s Resurrection Symphony26:31 - The Influence of Classical Music on Modern Composers32:25 - The legacy of John Williams' film music39:54 - Exploring the classical homages in Star Wars46:18 - The Impact of John Williams' Music50:18 - Closing thoughts and farewellFeatured music:Sinfonia Movement No. 3 (1969) Luciano BerioStar Wars (1977) John WilliamsGet in touch:📩 Send your classical questions to [email protected] updates on Instagram @southbankcentreFollow us on TikTok @southbank.centreSubscribe to The Tonic newsletter for articles, video and audioAnd don’t forget to subscribe, like and comment, wherever you get your podcasts.

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• Can classical be protest music? | So, Hear Me Out

  Linton and Gillian explore how classical music has been used to challenge power, uplift marginalised voices, and fuel social movements. From radical sounds to revolutionary ideas, we discover how music becomes activism.Linton introduces Julius Eastman’s Gay Guerrilla, a defiant and deeply moving work that reclaims the idea of the ‘guerrilla’ as a symbol of queer resistance. The piece is raw, repetitive, and electrifying – built to reflect both personal struggle and collective power.Gillian guides us through Frederic Rzewski’s The People United Will Never Be Defeated, a towering set of 36 variations based on a Chilean protest anthem. Together Gillian and Linton unpack how Rzewski weaves political messages into classical form, creating a composition that bridges generations and geographies of resistance.Throughout this episode, the hosts consider how music amplifies stories too often silenced, and how these works continue to speak to today’s social and political realities. This is classical music as you’ve never heard it – urgent, unflinching, and unafraid to raise its voice.Listen now for an exploration of music that dares to speak out and still echoes today.Episode highlights:00:00 Welcome to So Hear Me Out01:02 Today's big question: How is classical music protest music?02:33 Anne Hathaway and Les Misérables03:16 Exploring protest and resistance in classical music04:31 Julius Eastman's Gay Guerrilla06:23 Analyzing the music and techniques of Gay Guerrilla25:01 Frederic Rzewski's The People United Will Never Be Defeated29:25 Musical variations and political messages41:08 The power of music in activism42:06 Closing thoughts and farewellFeatured worksGay Guerrilla, Julius EastmanThe People United Will Never Be Defeated, Frederic RzewskiGet in touch📩 Send your classical questions to [email protected] updates on Instagram ⁠@southbankcentre⁠Follow us on TikTok ⁠@southbank.centre⁠Subscribe to ⁠The Tonic newsletter⁠ for all of our articles, video and audioAnd don’t forget to subscribe and comment, wherever you get your podcastsCreditsProduced by Connor GaniExecutive Producers Emily Dicks and Phil Smith Sound Mix by Solomon KingA Reduced Listening production for Southbank Centre

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