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BBC Radio 3 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced Third Programme.

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Composer of the Week

Music: Classical

An informative guide to composers' lives and their music.

An informative and accessible guide to composers' lives and their music.

Composer of the Week: George Gershwin (1898-1937)

Composer of the Week: George Gershwin (1898-1937): Episode 5: Porgy and Bess

George Gershwin (1898-1937)

Episode 5

Episode 5: Porgy and Bess

Porgy and Bess

BBC Radio 3 - Composer of the Week, George Gershwin (1898-1937), Porgy and Bess

Donald Macleod explores the poignant story of George Gershwin's unhappy last months.

Donald Macleod explores the poignant story of George Gershwin's unhappy last months, spent in Hollywood, and the effect of his death on his beloved brother Ira.

When George Gershwin died at the age of 38, he was at the height of his compositional powers, and teeming with ideas. In the final programme of the week, Donald Macleod explores the poignant story of his unhappy final months, spent in Hollywood away from his home in New York - and the effect that his tragic premature death had on his beloved brother Ira.

We also hear arguably the two finest works of Gershwin's final years - the dazzling "Variations on 'I Got Rhythm'" for piano and orchestra - performed in an archive recording by the composer's great friend Oscar Levant - and two complete scenes from Gershwin's operatic masterpiece, "Porgy and Bess".

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

Donald Macleod presents an overview of some of George Gershwin's greatest works

Donald Macleod presents an overview of some of George Gershwin's greatest works, from both the concert stage and the world of musicals - exploring his gift for melody, and his originality and daring

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Composer of the Week

George Gershwin (1898-1937)

Episode 5: Porgy and Bess

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