Reposted from a lost 2007 blog
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Well, I just finished watching a relatively new production of Candide by Leonard Bernstein (I’ve also seen the one he conducted shortly before his death). This really is not my favorite Bernstein work. Laying aside my personal dislike of cynicism in general, I’ll just talk about the music. Yes there are a few good tunes in here, especially a couple of the duets and the triumphant “Make our Garden Grow” finale. Nevertheless, the work is uneven, drags in parts, and is definately not Bernstein’s most imaginative writing. Perhaps the most fun thing in Candide is the overture, which is one of the great overtures, in my opinion. An overture does not ‘make’ a show though. Still, there are a few things which I would love to hear excerpted in a concert, just probably not the whole thing again.