Roundtable by the 92nd Street Y: The Revolutionary George Gershwin, Lecture 3 – “I never felt more alive…than when working on Porgy and Bess”

DuBose Heyward’s novel “Porgy” inspired Gershwin to compose what he felt profoundly to be his finest achievement, consuming him to near exhaustion right up to its opening in 1935. Since then “Porgy and Bess” has taken its place as a beloved and revered opera on the world’s great stages, occupying a unique role in the history of American art. Performances evolve constantly, weathering controversy and changing attitudes by virtue of Gershwin’s ravishing music and tender, compassionate characterizations. Now in 2025, “Porgy and Bess” remains a radiant expression of Gershwin’s towering creative vision, honesty and integrity.