Landmarks
Thursday 5 October 2006 21:30-22:00 (Radio 3)
Playlist
"A combination of the drama and romance of Carmen and the beauty of Meistersinger" - that's the task George Gershwin set himself when he sat down to compose Porgy and Bess in 1934.
It took him twenty months to to complete the score and the work received its premiere on September 30 th at Boston 's Colonial Theatre.
Porgy and Bess has since become a vital part of the 20 th century operatic repertoire - a cultural landmark which is the subject of a special Night Waves this evening.
Susan Hitch will be discusses the work's enduring power with the singer, Willard White - himself one of the great Porgies of recent years - the musician Julian Joseph and the anthropologist, Kit Davis.
