Behind the Music with Louis Rosen: The Making of Porgy and Bess

Porgy and Bess was ten years in the making, from the moment George Gershwin became entranced by the operatic possibilities of DeBose Hayward’s novel about life in a rundown waterfront ghetto of Gullah blacks, to the historic October 1935 premiere.

We’ll trace the evolution of the composition, placing a dual emphasis on what makes the work distinctly operatic — its arias, choral sequences, thematic relationships, recitatives — and Gershwin’s unique approach to song. In addition, we'll discuss the work's performance history and its only gradual acceptance as the greatest American opera.