A condensed version of the operetta; scrapping parts of the book here and there, only keeping what is necessary for general plot and introductions to songs. Because of its length, it is probably the most enjoyable production to watch; it doesn't feel like it's always stopping for exposition, which is often the fault of other full length versions. Some might say this is a highly campy iteration that reduces the plight of the characters, but when listening to the actual lyrics and libretto how serious can this piece really be without feeling tonal whiplash.
Great Performances (TV Series)
Leonard Bernstein's Candide, a Comic Operetta in Two Acts (2005)
User Reviews
Review this title4 Reviews
Generally outstanding Candide
TheLittleSongbird21 August 2012
Leonard Bernstein I admire as a composer and conductor. West Side Story and Candide especially have amazing music and really make me identify with the story, while his conducting whether in Beethoven, Mahler, Wagner or his own music(there's also an excellent DVD of him conducting Verdi's Requiem is mostly electric. This is an outstanding concert performance of Candide. I was expecting much as there are singers like Thomas Allen and Kristen Chenoweth that I do love, and I got exactly what I expected.
The photography does have the occasional amateurish glitch but is mostly fine. The sound is terrific, makes you feel you were there, and there were many times where I actually wished I was. The Avery Fisher Hall is a somewhat limited space, but the performance doesn't make this hinder it, it manages to embrace that. The staging is very simple, but this is simplicity at its best. It is also great fun, everybody, even the orchestra seems to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. For example the chorus-as-card section and the thoroughly entertaining vaudeville act-like rendition of Glitter and Be Gay.
Where I didn't like it so much was the use of the gimmick of the chorus passing possessions into Candide's bag, it was intended to be cute but seeing as it happened in It Must Be So, the most moving part perhaps of Candide, I found it distracting.
Musically though, the performance though is thrilling. The orchestra is huge and while the bigger textures are rich in sound, they manage to have a shimmering effect for the more sensitive and quieter passages. Martin Alsop's conducting is enigmatic and perfectly judged in tempo. The chorus look as though they are having fun and balance and blend beautifully. The abridgement of the Overture is a disappointment, as that is such a terrific concert piece and would have brought the house down, but the playing and energy more than makes up for this. The performances are wonderful. Weakest though was Patti LuPone. She acts with tremendous aplomb apart from some occasional hardness, but I found her singing more suited to Broadway rather than the operatic mezzo the Old Lady is more like. I Am Easily Assimiliated is fun though.
Kristin Chenoweth is not quite as good as Barbara Cook, who really IS Cunegonde. That said, she is still brilliant in the role. Her singing is just beautiful, with all the notes and bang on in pitch, and she does tell a story and develops Cunegonde as a performance that is quite moving. Lovely woman too. Paul Groves equally so as Candide, his low notes are not as good as the rest of his voice but the ringing top and beautiful overall quality of his voice more than makes amends. The naive, childlike and innocent is also captured to perfection.
Thomas Allen has always been a favourite of mine, ever seeing his Largo Al Factotum at the Golden Jubilee Concert(I think). His singing is as sonorous as ever, and he brings great stability to both his roles, especially as Pangloss, though his Narrator superbly manages to tell the story with no sense of confusion. Jeff Blumenkrantz is hilarious and wonderfully narcissistic as Maximillian. The Paquette of Janine LaManna is sexy and vocally as beautiful and clear as a flute. The costumes are also wonderfully elaborate.
Overall, generally outstanding. 9/10 Bethany Cox
The photography does have the occasional amateurish glitch but is mostly fine. The sound is terrific, makes you feel you were there, and there were many times where I actually wished I was. The Avery Fisher Hall is a somewhat limited space, but the performance doesn't make this hinder it, it manages to embrace that. The staging is very simple, but this is simplicity at its best. It is also great fun, everybody, even the orchestra seems to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. For example the chorus-as-card section and the thoroughly entertaining vaudeville act-like rendition of Glitter and Be Gay.
Where I didn't like it so much was the use of the gimmick of the chorus passing possessions into Candide's bag, it was intended to be cute but seeing as it happened in It Must Be So, the most moving part perhaps of Candide, I found it distracting.
Musically though, the performance though is thrilling. The orchestra is huge and while the bigger textures are rich in sound, they manage to have a shimmering effect for the more sensitive and quieter passages. Martin Alsop's conducting is enigmatic and perfectly judged in tempo. The chorus look as though they are having fun and balance and blend beautifully. The abridgement of the Overture is a disappointment, as that is such a terrific concert piece and would have brought the house down, but the playing and energy more than makes up for this. The performances are wonderful. Weakest though was Patti LuPone. She acts with tremendous aplomb apart from some occasional hardness, but I found her singing more suited to Broadway rather than the operatic mezzo the Old Lady is more like. I Am Easily Assimiliated is fun though.
Kristin Chenoweth is not quite as good as Barbara Cook, who really IS Cunegonde. That said, she is still brilliant in the role. Her singing is just beautiful, with all the notes and bang on in pitch, and she does tell a story and develops Cunegonde as a performance that is quite moving. Lovely woman too. Paul Groves equally so as Candide, his low notes are not as good as the rest of his voice but the ringing top and beautiful overall quality of his voice more than makes amends. The naive, childlike and innocent is also captured to perfection.
Thomas Allen has always been a favourite of mine, ever seeing his Largo Al Factotum at the Golden Jubilee Concert(I think). His singing is as sonorous as ever, and he brings great stability to both his roles, especially as Pangloss, though his Narrator superbly manages to tell the story with no sense of confusion. Jeff Blumenkrantz is hilarious and wonderfully narcissistic as Maximillian. The Paquette of Janine LaManna is sexy and vocally as beautiful and clear as a flute. The costumes are also wonderfully elaborate.
Overall, generally outstanding. 9/10 Bethany Cox
a silly, fun, uplifting,tongue-in-cheek production...
dbwldg16 April 2006
...that was just pure perfection for me as a viewer. Knowing the opera and where the plot takes us and where the story will end up becomes secondary as you get caught up watching this familiar story being performed with such giddy glee, that you cannot help but be caught unawares. You begin to notice that you are watching with a look of silly wonderment on your own face. It is such a truly enjoyable production that even as I sit typing this I find myself wearing a silly grin just thinking of it. This was wonderfully well done and very accessible for those who do not believe Opera to be "their thing." More than worth it to check this out if you happen to see it on your local PBS station. I do not believe anyone would be unhappy if they did. Great casting. Great performances. The performers looked like they were having a blast up there and that came right through the TV screen and into my living room. I recommend this highly to anyone who may not be sure about Opera and wants a fun and less pained way of being introduced.
The very best!!
jjhan21 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This was the best production of Candide I've ever seen. I saw the production with Barbara Cook, I thought she was wonderful. I think Kristen Chenoweth was even better. She is the greatest singer/Actress in the business today! She would have been a star in the "Golden Days" of Broadway. I think she is the Merman of today. I would love to see her in any of the great musicals of the 30's thru the early 60's. She would be fantastic in; "Man of La Mancha," "The Most Happy Fella," "Kismet." I can see her in almost any show of that era. I also saw her on the "Boston Pops" program. She sang Jerome Kern songs and several other songs, again, she was sensational. The more of her I see, the more of her I want to see!
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