Musical works

George Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess (1935), based on the play Porgy by Dorothy and DuBose Heyward, stands as one of the most significant lyrical works in the American 20th-century repertoire. The opera tells the story of the harsh lives of African Americans living in the fictional neighborhood of Catfish Row, South Carolina, during the early 1930s. It features four main characters: Porgy, a crippled Black beggar; Bess, the woman he loves; Crown, Bess’s violent lover; and Sportin’ Life, a drug dealer who tries to lure Bess into a life of vice and prostitution.

With this work, Gershwin created what many consider a lyrical masterpiece, skillfully blending European orchestral techniques with American jazz and popular music of the time. Since its premiere, the opera’s popularity has far transcended the boundaries of the classical stage, thanks in large part to its iconic aria Summertime, which has been interpreted by some of the greatest jazz voices of the 20th century.