A Question about "Candide" Recordings

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 3/28/07 at 2:04am

About 2 months ago I got a recording of Candide (the 1997 Broadway Revival), and I told my friend about it and she asked me if Kristen Chenoweth was in it.

Is there a recording of Candide with her in it? After reading Janine LaManana's bio, where a recent recording of Candide was listed I think that there might be one.

Anyone know?

[LoringsGuy]

Posted: 3/28/07 at 2:06am

There is a live performance DVD of 'Candide' with Cheno playing Cunegonde, but I'm not sure if an audio recording was made of it.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/28/07 at 2:07am

I have a DVD audio rip if that counts...

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 3/28/07 at 2:16am

thanks

[LuPonatic]

Posted: 3/28/07 at 9:26am

Kind of a similar question, but are there any recordings of Candide with the "We Are Women" duet. I loved that one in the Chenoweth / LuPone Concert!

[Smaxie]

Posted: 3/28/07 at 9:49am

"We are Women" is performed to a fare-thee-well on the Scottish Opera recording (I've linked the cover). It's at a brisk clip, and wonderfully sung. There is also a version on the Bernstein conducted version, but that whole recording suffers from his lugubrious conducting.

Updated On: 3/28/07 at 09:49 AM

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 3/28/07 at 10:19am

suffers from his lugubrious condujcting?

Oh my, pardon the COMPOSER for conducting the work as he sees fit...

[philcrosby]

Posted: 3/28/07 at 11:04am

No, Smaxie is right, Bernstein's own recording of CANDIDE is probably the slowest-paced thing I have ever heard, and counters his intentions in every other production ever done. It's an awful recording.

"We are Women" is also on the RNT recording which is quite a good rendition on the non-Chelsea (though still not quite original) score.

It's got tons of fans, but the Scottish Opera recording to me is just drudgery.

[D2]

Posted: 3/28/07 at 11:45am

There are TOO many CANDIDE recordings to choose from, and none of them do the score justice. The best of the lot are the original 1956 and 1974 recordings. Although admittedly 1974 is thinly orchestrated and not well sung, it has a youthful exuberance that has never been matched.

[LuPonatic]

Posted: 3/28/07 at 12:30pm

Thanks for the info Smaxie!

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 3/28/07 at 2:37pm

Personally, I think Bernstein's own recording of the score is the best performed. The slower tempos certainly do the score justice, as do the performers. Although I do like the concert version as well.

I own all the recordings, and none of them are THE best, so I made a compilation of all of them, it includes all the material, and I get to choose the performers :)

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Posted: 6/25/07 at 4:10am

I know this question will seem redundant considering the posts on this thread, but I have to ask. I have the 1956 original Bway cast recording of Candide, and I just wanted to know what other version of Candide should I get? I'm a bit afraid of the 1974 version because of the thin orchestrations and it not being well-sung.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 6/25/07 at 6:15am

I'm gonna go out on a limb and recommend the 1999 Royal National Theatre recording. It helps of course that I saw this production when I was in London and it seriously blew me away.

John Caird (who directed with some help from Nunn) revised the libretto from Wheeler's, adding a bit more of Voltaire's original and I think really it's the best available book for the show (apparantly it can be optioned by amateur groups--).

ANyway it DOES include We Are Women and a lot that isn't on the OBCR so makes a nice companion recording (those are the two I play the most).

Suskin has a decent review of the recording here http://www.playbill.com/features/article/66136.html I believe it's out of print but amazon is still selling copies for under 15 dollars so it's not rare like some RNT recordings (Night Music, etc). John Latouche actually did a number of the new lyrics as well--which is a fairly big deal. Forwhatever reason Candide fans seem to often overlook this recording (or not even know of it) but I *strongly* recommend it. And I think it glows all the more in comparison to the Broadway recording from the same era.

Fen Bernstein wasn't infaliable conducting hsi own work--have you heard his West Side Story recording? I think by the 80s he was a bit too overprotective (and just damn SLOW) with how he conducted them. BUT all of this is very much a matter of taste.

For the RNT recording amazon doesn't have a song list listed but it's as follows:

Musical Numbers
Overture - Orchestra
Act One

Voltaire Chorale - Company
Life is Happiness Indeed - Candide
Life is Happiness Unending - Candide, Maximilian, Cunegonde, Paquette
The Best of All Possible Worlds - Pangloss, Candide, Cunegonde, Maximilian, Paquette
Universal Good - Pangloss, Candide, Cunegonde, Maximilian, Paquette
Oh, Happy We - Candide and Cunegonde
Candide's Lament - Candide
Dear Boy - Pangloss and Company
The Paris Waltz - Orchestra
Glitter and Be Gay - Cunegonde
Auto-da-fe (What a Day); - Grand Inquisitor, Inquisitors, Company
You Were Dead, You Know - Candide and Cunegonde
I Am Easily Assimilated - Old Woman and Company
Quartet Finale - Candide, Cunegonde, Old Woman, Cacambo and Company

Act Two

We Are Women - Old Woman and Cunegonde
My Love - Governor and Cunegonde
The Ballad of Eldorado - Voltaire, Candide, Cacambo, King, Queen, and Company
Bon Voyage - Vanderdendur and Company
It Must Be Me - Candide
Words, Words, Words - Martin
Money, Money, Money - Women of Venice
The Venice Gavotte - Old Woman, Cunegonde, Candide, Pangloss and Company
Nothing More Than This - Candide
What's the Use? - Cacambo, Paquette, Old Woman, Maximilian, Pangloss, Martin and Company
The Kings' Barcarolle - Stanislaus, Ivan, Charles Edward, Achmet, Hermann Augustus, Theodore and Candide
Universal Good (reprise) - Candide and Company
Make Our Garden Grow - Candide, Cunegonde and Company
Updated On: 6/25/07 at 06:15 AM

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 6/25/07 at 8:56am

My only issue with the RNT (which is, as Eric noted, an incredible recording) is how they jumbled the original novel -- moving the Lisbon scene later into the story, for example -- to neglibible dramatic effect. Voltaire built steadily from page to page, and Caird's revisions threw a lot of that out the window.

However, it *does* have the Bacarolle, which I dont think is on any other recording. That's a plus.

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 6/25/07 at 8:59am

Does anyone know if the concert cast with Madeline Kahn was ever recorded, either on film or audio?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 6/26/07 at 10:46pm

Sean--did you manage to see the RNT? For some reason the scene change you mention I thought worked really well in the staging (or more to the point I barely even noticed it as I enjoyed everything so much)--however, knowing the novel, I do agree that at heart it seems a foolish change

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 6/26/07 at 10:57pm

One of my clients mounted the RNT version about two years ago, and I got to see it on a DVD they sent me. The director said the stage directions were all *very* specific, so I imagine it was about as close to the RNT production as possible. In a curious way, I was kinda unimpressed with the whole thing, not the least of which was how they threw the sequence of things waaaaaaaay out of order. But the adaption overall just felt... I dunno, Eric. A little lame, I guess. I honestly expected better. But bear in mind that I saw the 74 production, the City Opera production, *and* (eww) the last Broadway revival (which was so appallingly bad I'm surprised any of the principals kept it on their various resumes). This is a show very dear to my heart, which is why I had such high hopes for the RNT.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 6/26/07 at 11:02pm

Well the cast was a huge part of the appeal. It was also almost done in the round--which probably doesn't carry too well on a DVD. It was honestly one of the best nights of theatre I've ever had.

E

[Boq101]

Posted: 6/26/07 at 11:24pm

I might get the RNT for posterity, because it seems to have most of the music, but if it were available i'd get the Lonny Price concert with LuPone and Chenoweth

[Unknown User]

Posted: 6/26/07 at 11:52pm

I might give the concert a second chance as a recording--I really didn't like the (admitedly limited) visual touches Lonny and crew did...

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 12:13am

The LuPone/Chenoweth Candide is the only one I will listen to. I like the book and the songs that were included best in this version. I wish it was available to license from MTI. Both versions are missing songs from the Lonny Price adaptation.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 12:14am

*I'm not too familiar with the concert sinc ei was disappointed by it--what were the musical numbers?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 12:23am

Overture
Life is Happiness Indeed
The Best of All Possible Worlds
Oh, Happy We
It Must Be So
Westphalia Chorale
Dear Boy
Auto-De-Fe
Candide's Lament
Paris Waltz
Glitter and Be Gay
You Were Dead, You Know
I Am Easily Assimilated
Quartet Finale

Entr'acte
My Love
We Are Women
Alleluia
Quiet
Eldorado Introduction
The Sheep Song
The Ballad of Eldorado
Bon Voyage
What's the Use?
Make Our Garden Grow