Alek Shrader and Erin Morley in Candide. (Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Orchestra)

They saved the best (of all possible worlds) for last.

I’ll admit I was wary, already feeling like the Leonard Bernstein Centenary had gone on forever—surely the iconic maestro should be 112 by now? And Candide, Bernstein’s problem child and failed Broadway musical, has become a particular focus of orchestras and opera companies. Once a rarity, attempts to resurrect it are now commonplace.

Of course, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra would likewise take on Candide—after all, Bernstein is an honorary favorite son in the city; also, probably the most famous Curtis alum ever. So this was natural and inevitable—but was it a good idea?…

Read the full review at Parterre Box.