Organization

Conductor

Composer (+5)

Leonard Bernstein

Stage director

Humphrey Burton

Lighting designer

Alan Woolford

Sound designer

Baritone (+1)

John Evans

Costume designer

Amelia Bauer

Set designer

Julia Whiteoak

Tenor (+2)

Jerry Hadley

Candide

Soprano

June Anderson

Cunegonde

Adolph Green

Dr Pangloss

Mezzo-soprano (+3)

Christa Ludwig

Old Woman

Bass (+3)

Kurt Ollmann

Maximilian

Tenor

Nicolai Gedda

Governor of Buenos Aires

Vanderdendur

Ragotski

Martin

Hermann Augustus

Della Jones

Paquette

Bass (+4)

Clive Bayley

Bearkeeper

First inquisitor

Tsar Ivan

Lindsay Benson

Second inquisitor

King Stanislas

Tenor (+5)

Neil Jenkins

Cosmetic Merchant

Third inquisitor

Charles Edward

Baritone (+5)

Richard Suart

Junkman

Tenor (+1)

John Treleaven

Alchemist

Sultan Achmet

Crook

Simon Bainbridge

First Choir Soloist

Bass-baritone (+1)

Chris Short

Second Choir Soloist

Aileen Perris

Third Choir Soloist

Andrew Farrow

Choir Croupier

Barbican Centre

Stage Production Notes  
Leonard Bernstein’s operetta Candide was based on the French novel Candide, ou L’Optimisme by Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire. The story was a criticism of the notion that “All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds,” and followed the life of Candide, a young man seeking happiness in the world and encountering war, famine, and grief.

Initially collaborating with Lillian Hellman, Bernstein wrote the score in the early 1950s. He premiered the Overture in 1956 with the New York Philharmonic where it was an instant hit.

Candide was first performed in Boston. The out-of-town try-outs were infamous for running long, with the curtain coming down until well after midnight on at least one occasion.

Candide opened on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on December 1, 1956. The production was directed by Tyrone Guthrie, and featured Max Adrian as Dr. Pangloss, Barbara Cook as Cunegonde, Irra Petina as the Old Lady, and Robert Rouseville as Candide.

The production received positive reviews, with New York Times theatre critic Brooks Atkinson describing it as a “brilliant musical satire,” and praising Bernstein’s “wonderful score,” and the visual sumptuousness of the production.

Candide was nominated for multiple awards, including five Tony Awards.

Despite the critical praise, the show was a commercial flop and closed on February 2, 1957 after 73 performances.

Bernstein continued making revisions until a few years before his death in 1990. Stephen Sondheim, Richard Wilbur, John La Touche, Dorothy Parker, and conductor John Mauceri all contributed updates over various productions. There are now at least seven different versions of the show.

Candide has continued to be performed around the world, with productions in England, Scotland, Israel, and across the United States. It is one of the Bernstein’s most frequently performed symphonic compositions.

In 1986, under the direction of Hal Prince, the New York City Opera staged a popular “opera house” version of Candide. It was aired on American television on PBS’ Live from Lincoln Center, and was revived multiple times.

In 1988, the Scottish Opera and Old Vic staged a production with new lyrics by John Wells and musical direction by John Mauceri. The production transferred to the West End and won the 1989 Olivier Award for Best New Musical. 

Leonard Bernstein revised the Scottish Opera production, and this score was performed in concert at the Barbican Theatre in London on December 12 and 13, 1989. The production featured the London Symphony Orchestra, and starred Adolph Green, June Anderson, Christa Ludwig, and Jerry Hadley. Bernstein conducted the concert himself, and as he died a year a later, the Barbican Concert version is considered the "definitive" version of Candide.

A studio recording was released in 1991 under the title Bernstein Conducts Candide.​

Under the direction of Lonny Price, the New York Philharmonic presented a staged concert version of Candide at Lincoln Center as a part of its 2004 season. This production was also filmed live.

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