So, Hear Me Out – the classical music podcast

In this episode, we find Beethoven in hip-hop and Chopin in pop.  We're diving into how modern music channels the classics, starting with Linton, who unpacks Nas’s hip-hop anthem ‘I Can’ and its iconic 'Für Elise' sample. And then Gillian traces the transformation of Chopin's Prelude No. 20 into Barry Manilow’s soaring pop sensation, 'Could It Be Magic?' Episode highlights:...

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 Introduction 01:55 Debating the legitimacy of film and video game scores 06:16 Exploring Mica Levi&#39...

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 ea...

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...

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 episod...

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, rep...

Music doesn’t exist in a vacuum – it travels, it transforms, and sometimes it takes what isn’t freely given. Hosts Linton Stephens and Gillian Moore wade into one of the most complex questions in music today: is it okay to use sounds from cultures that are not your own? And, perhaps more importantly, how can you tell the difference between inspiration and appropriation? Together they dig into Clau...

Kicking off with the worst classical music jokes we could find, Linton and Gillian dive into the hidden humour of the classical world — from Haydn’s cheeky Surprise Symphony to Ravel’s mischievous opera L’enfant et les sortilèges. Q: Why did the pianist keep banging her head against the keys? A: Because she was playing by ear. (We’re sorry. It only gets slightly better from here.) Expect orchestra...

Can classical music be protest? Can it make you laugh? Or is it just one big remix? In So Hear Me Out , hosts Gillian Moore and Linton Stephens dig into the big questions, uncovering unexpected stories, surprising connections, and the hidden humour behind the music you thought you knew. This is classical music without the clichés — and with plenty to say about the world today. 👉 Subscribe now to...

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 sha...