Charles Hazlewood introduces the live television premiere of Nicholas Maw's opera, based on the novel by William Styron, conducted by Simon Rattle and directed by Trevor Nunn.
Austrian mezzo-soprano Angelika Kirchschlager is making her debut at London's Covent Garden as Sophie Zawistowska, a Holocaust survivor living in post-war New York and tormented by her memories of Auschwitz and the terrible decision she was forced to make while a captive of the Nazis.
Also starring Canadian tenor Gordon Gietz and American bass-baritone Rodney Gilfry. Subsequent programmes may run late or change