Candide (1999 Royal National Theatre Cast) [Cast Recording]

Leonard Bernstein, Max Adrian, Richard Wilbur, Irra Petina, Robert Rounseville, Barbara Cook, Candide (Related Recordings) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 27, 1995)
• Original Release Date: 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording
• Label: First Night Records
• ASIN: B0000457AY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #310,156 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great musical, but not the best possible recording, November 7, 1999

By 

"path31783" (NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Candide (1956 Original Broadway Cast) (Audio CD)

Candide is without a doubt one of my favorite pieces of music. Forget the show; the show itself will never work on stage. But the music really is amazing. The biggest problem is, there must be a dozen recordings of it, and not one is even remotely like another. You literally need to buy six cds just to get the full grasp of the score. This one, the first, has the best cast and the best orchestra; unfortunately, it contains all of one third of the music. Still, it is more than worth it (heck, the overture alone makes it worth it)

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flawed, but still a masterpiece!, April 18, 2001

By 

Michael S. Goldfarb (Verplanck, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Candide (1956 Original Broadway Cast) (Audio CD)

I grew up listening to this album (my parents having been among the enlightened few who saw the original production) and have always considered it fascinating and brilliant. Sure, there have been a half-dozen attempts to revise the show over the years, with much music added later on (some of it very good), but you really can't go wrong with this original version.

First of all, in Cook and Rousenville, it has two FANTASTIC singers. Max Adrian's Pangloss is also a delight. The quasi-operetta orchestration is more full-bodied and satisfying than some later versions, feeling much more like the 1700s. Throughout, the music and lyrics are intelligent, inventive, and enchanting - on par with West Side Story, if a bit less easy to relate to, being in an older idiom. (In fact, one of the best songs of West Side Story, the breathtaking wedding duet "One Hand, One Heart" was actually written for Candide, but not used because the irony of "Oh Happy We!" suited Candide better.)

Anyway, this albums is a flawed masterpiece that preserves a spectacularly creative production, and is a must-have for any serious fan of American musicals!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE ONE, THE GREAT, THE ORIGINAL, November 26, 1999

By 

Noah Lambert "Noah Lambert" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Candide (1956 Original Broadway Cast) (Audio CD)

Candide is a wonderful musical, and it can work well on stage (hence the 1970's run!)The music is wonderful and this a great recording, it doesn't have all the songs, but I think that it cought the spirit of the times well. What I mean is look at when this was written! How exciting it must have been, but the singers are great SO BUY!