Menotti

Music writer Michael White tells the life story of composer Gian Carlo Menotti and assesses why his music has fallen from grace.

Menotti was a star - he partied at the White House with the Kennedys and sailed on yachts with Maria Callas. His music was celebrated, but today has been largely forgotten. This programme tells his story through music, memories, Menotti's own words, interviews with musicologists and singers who worked with him. Michael often visited Menotti in both his Scottish castle and in Italy, and had rare access to the composer's private papers.