Almost 40 years after it was written,
Berthold Goldschmidt 's opera
Beatrice Cenci has at last been given its premiere.
Commissioned by the Arts
Council for the 1951 Festival of Britain, this large-scale, full-blooded work languished unperformed, and it seemed totally forgotten. Now Goldschmidt is finally enjoying some of the celebrity which has eluded him throughout 85 extraordinary years.
Tonight George Benjamin , Bernard Keeffe ,
David Matthews , Simon Rattle and others celebrate his rare talent for composing, conducting - and living.
Goldschmidt himself recalls some of the landmarks of his life and of the 20th century. The programme includes extracts of his work.
Film cameraman IAN HILTON Sound MICHAEL WHITEHOUSE
Executive producer JOHN ARCHER Producer JONATHAN FULFORD A Review production