Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
Leonard Bernstein’s Overture to Candide (1956) is a dazzling burst of wit, charm, and virtuosity—a frequently performed concert opener in the orchestral repertoire. Drawn from his operetta Candide, based on Voltaire’s satirical novella, the overture encapsulates the work’s irrepressible energy and biting humor in just four whirlwind minutes.
About the Overture, Bernstein scholar Jack Gottlieb, also a colleague and friend of the composer, wrote in 1964:
Candide (1956) is operetta in the vein of Offenbach and Gilbert and Sullivan. Its music has all the wit, élan, and sophistication that is associated with that genre. This is immediately apparent in the Overture (who ever wrote a special overture—in sonata form, no less—for a musical comedy?). It begins with a fanfare built on the interval of a minor seventh, followed by a major second—typically Bernstein, which serves as a motto and as a basis for development, throughout the entire operetta. This seventh sets up an expectation of B-flat major; but, instead, there is a stumbling, like a pratfall, into E-flat. This, in the body of the show, becomes “battle scene” music. Next, a lyrical contrast from the duet “Oh Happy We” is stated. This entire section is then repeated with lighter orchestration (note the devilish glee of the solo violin) and is succeeded by a brilliant codetta derived from the end of the aria “Glitter and Be Gay.” The Overture concludes with a shower of musical sparks utilizing fragments of everything already heard. (source: leonardberstein.com)
Published by