Skip to content
Sign inOpen the app
Artwork for Reading Our Times
Reading Our Times · Nov 18, 2025 · 46 min

Can music redeem time? In conversation with Michael Symmons Roberts

The performance of Olivier Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time in a freezing WW2 prison camp is one of the most famous moments of 20th century music. The piece and performance spoke to audiences movingly, both then and now, of peace, God, time, and the power of music. Such questions remain powerful today. How imprisoned by time are we? In what sense does music and art enable us to transcend the constraints of our existence? What does the end of time mean? This week on Reading Our Times, Nick speaks to poet Michael Symmons Roberts about his latest book Quartet for the End of Time: On Music, Grief and Birdsong. You can buy a copy of Michael's book here.

0:00-46:16
Play in podnod

transcript

No transcript — this publisher did not publish one.

show notes

The performance of Olivier Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time in a freezing WW2 prison camp is one of the most famous moments of 20th century music.

The piece and performance spoke to audiences movingly, both then and now, of peace, God, time, and the power of music.

Such questions remain powerful today. How imprisoned by time are we? In what sense does music and art enable us to transcend the constraints of our existence? What does the end of time mean?

This week on Reading Our Times, Nick speaks to poet Michael Symmons Roberts about his latest book Quartet for the End of Time: On Music, Grief and Birdsong.

You can buy a copy of Michael's book here.

links1

more episodes

All episodes