2008 Woodie Awards
Candide Proves that Opera can be Anything but Stuffy
Courtney Roy
Issue date: 3/30/05 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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Leonard Bernstein's "Candide,", which is based on the novel by French philosopher Voltaire, shows audiences that opera does not have to be the stern, stuffy, inaccessible art form that it is so often considered. Even poking fun at the traditional operatic style, it is energetic, funny, and engaging.
The story opens in Westphalia, in the Baron's castle where his children Cunegonde and Maximilian, along with their illegitimate cousin Candide and the maid Paquette, are instructed by their tutor, Dr. Pangloss, who teaches them that "all is for the best in the best of possible worlds." Candide falls in love with the beautiful, albeit somewhat immature, Cunegonde, infuriating the Baron, who banishes Candide. Soon after, invading Bulgarians abduct Candide and murder the entire family with the exception of Cunegonde. Candide is rescued by a band of actors, and is somehow reunited with Dr. Pangloss. The two are arrested for their liberal beliefs, and are brought to Lisbon, where Dr. Pangloss is hanged and Candide is whipped. An eccentric Old Woman nurses Candide back to health and reunites him with Cunegonde, who has since become a very popular prostitute, and is shared by a wealthy Jew and the Grand Inquisitor. Despite all of this, she still loves Candide. Candide murders the two, and along with the Old Woman and Cunegonde, he flees for the New World, but Cunegonde and the Old Woman are abducted. Upon arrival in the New World, Candide is met with many adventures, reunions, and struggles.
Sung in English, with supertitles across the top of the set, this is truly an opera that anyone can enjoy. The show itself runs more like a Broadway musical than what one would expect at the opera, with a large amount of spoken lines for the genre. This is not surprising considering the fact that the composer, Leonard Bernstein is also responsible for the classic Broadway musical "West Side Story." Bernstein himself has an illustrious and diverse career-composing music for ballets, musicals, and operas, as well as conducting the New York Philharmonic, and later serving as the Music Director for the New York City Symphony Orchestra.
The story opens in Westphalia, in the Baron's castle where his children Cunegonde and Maximilian, along with their illegitimate cousin Candide and the maid Paquette, are instructed by their tutor, Dr. Pangloss, who teaches them that "all is for the best in the best of possible worlds." Candide falls in love with the beautiful, albeit somewhat immature, Cunegonde, infuriating the Baron, who banishes Candide. Soon after, invading Bulgarians abduct Candide and murder the entire family with the exception of Cunegonde. Candide is rescued by a band of actors, and is somehow reunited with Dr. Pangloss. The two are arrested for their liberal beliefs, and are brought to Lisbon, where Dr. Pangloss is hanged and Candide is whipped. An eccentric Old Woman nurses Candide back to health and reunites him with Cunegonde, who has since become a very popular prostitute, and is shared by a wealthy Jew and the Grand Inquisitor. Despite all of this, she still loves Candide. Candide murders the two, and along with the Old Woman and Cunegonde, he flees for the New World, but Cunegonde and the Old Woman are abducted. Upon arrival in the New World, Candide is met with many adventures, reunions, and struggles.
Sung in English, with supertitles across the top of the set, this is truly an opera that anyone can enjoy. The show itself runs more like a Broadway musical than what one would expect at the opera, with a large amount of spoken lines for the genre. This is not surprising considering the fact that the composer, Leonard Bernstein is also responsible for the classic Broadway musical "West Side Story." Bernstein himself has an illustrious and diverse career-composing music for ballets, musicals, and operas, as well as conducting the New York Philharmonic, and later serving as the Music Director for the New York City Symphony Orchestra.