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CSO's 'Candide' pays tribute to Bernstein

It's a rare treat to hear Leonard Bernstein's "Candide" performed in its entirety. It's a rarer treat to hear a performance as glittery and gay, as full of fun and humor and heartfelt joy as the one presented April 19 at the Gaillard Municipal Auditorium. The Charleston Symphony Orchestra and a cast of hundreds brought an extraordinary operetta to vivid life with aplomb.

"I know Lenny was there," Music Director David Stahl wrote in an e-mail after the show. "I felt his spirit everywhere. The old man is still alive!"

Stahl should know. He was Bernstein's assistant conductor for a recording of "West Side Story," the music director for that show's Broadway run in the 1980s. He spent six months, eight performances a week, in the pit of the Minskoff Theater. Every so often the pit's door would open a crack and someone would extend his arm through it, a scrap of paper pinched between his fingers. The note was succinct: "L.B. is here." So Stahl would inject an extra dose of vigor into the performance.

Stahl traveled with Bernstein to Europe, spent hours in the maestro's New York City apartment talking about Wagner. The young apprentice ran errands for his mentor, finding car horns at Radio City Music Hall that were needed for a Carnegie Hall performance of Gershwin's "An American in Paris."

Stahl, then, is familiar with Bernstein's work, and this kinship was on clear display at the Gaillard. The conductor is fortunate to have such a capable crew playing under his baton, and the orchestra is lucky to have such an enthusiast on the podium.

The orchestra sparkled, and no more so than during the famous overture. It was exuberant without spilling over the top, energetic without feeling rushed, melodic without an ounce of sentimentality. And so it went, all through the night. I have not heard the orchestra sound better.

That said, let's recall that, despite the attention-grabbing overture (which often stands alone as a concert piece), the orchestra's primary role was as accompanist. Stahl is particularly gifted at accompaniment, consistently open-eared and sensitive to the nuances of his soloists and choir. And though his responsibility was great, he never forgot to have fun.

The CSO Chorus and College of Charleston Concert Choir combined to forge a monolithic vocal entity that lent force and finesse to the proceedings. Chorus Director Robert Taylor had a big job, getting all these singers to articulate and propel the flurry of words, syncopated rhythms and sumptuous lines created by Bernstein. No easy task, and but for a few blurry moments, the choir pulled it off with skill.

Tenor Thomas Cooley played the title role. And a good thing. His warm, lyrical voice perfectly conveyed the requisite naivete of the young optimist.

Cornelia Goetz, a German soprano who has worked with Stahl before, was supposed to sing the role of Cunegonde. But she couldn't get a travel visa, so the CSO booked Nancy Allen Lundy. In an introduction from the podium, Stahl said Lundy was battling a cold, but it was hard to hear its interference in the coloratura and charm that ensued, except for a few moments during "Glitter and Be Gay" and the Act 1 finale when she seemed to tire a little.

"Candide" was conceived by playwright Lillian Hellman and Bernstein as a theater piece with incidental music. It developed into a full-fledged Broadway show, then developed further into a sort of operetta. Productions were mounted over the decades to mixed reviews, and revisions were made over and over again — by John Latouche, Dorothy Parker, James Agee, Richard Wilbur, Hugh Wheeler, Harold Prince, Stephen Sondheim, Hershy Kay, John Mauceri and, of course, Bernstein himself.

It was Mauceri, with his pinched character voice and perfect sensibility as the show's narrator, who worked with Bernstein to create the "final revised version," which was produced by the Scottish Opera, then recorded in 1989 with Bernstein conducting.

After witnessing last week's production, I am convinced that "Candide" works best as a concert piece, with everyone, including chorus and instrumentalists, on full view. But don't for a minute think that tuxedos and music stands prevent the singers from acting. Indeed, part of the charm of the CSO production was the skill with which the soloists created caricatures that embodied certain human values and foibles. They were at once professional soloists hired to sing a role and knowing actors who seized the opportunity to schmaltz it up.

Jacob Will played Dr. Pangloss and Martin with staid humor and conscious satire. His singing was fine, though I wished he could have projected the words of "Words, Words, Words (Martin's Laughing Song)" with a bit more rhythmic gusto. His manner, though, was impeccable.

Jennifer Luiken as the Old Lady, Bruce Reed as the Governor Vanderdendur and Ragotski were having so much fun, it was impossible not to smile broadly as they cavorted on stage. (They sang well, too.) Suzanne Fleming Atwood as Paquette and Stephen Bryant as Maximilian and the Captain did much with their smaller roles.

But "Candide" would not be "Candide" without the irreverent voice of the narrator, consummately played by College of Charleston acting teacher Evan Parry. He inserted a few contemporary references, which helped emphasize how Voltaire's famous book remains relevant to any age. Parry was the focal point, and his excellent timing and tout savoir attitude helped propel the production along.

Bernstein, a man of vast accomplishment, is an anomaly. A world-class conductor, he revived Mahler, promoted American composers and explained classical music to children who sat mesmerized in Carnegie Hall. For me, few of his classical recordings stand out as the best available. His interpretations often were overwrought. It seemed he was incapable of allowing the music to speak for itself. Of course, all conductors interpret the score and act as a vehicle for the composer, but Bernstein insisted on channeling the music as though he were a lightning rod. Problem was, sometimes this would scorch the score.

A composer of classical music, Bernstein produced symphonies and choral music that contained moments of inspired beauty and wit. But just as often they felt heavy and pompous and overly philosophical. He was at his best as a composer when he wrote popular music, but even that could get sentimental or over the top. Bernstein was a force of nature, and he knew it. He also was a man of such immense talent the persona he cultivated was deserved. Few could begrudge him his extravagance, even if it wasn't always appreciated.

"Candide," then, is something special. For no other Bernstein score sparkles so much (not even "West Side Story"). No other piece conveys such wit, literary and musical. No other work by the larger-than-life American conductor-composer-pianist-teacher-celebrity-mentor-visionary offers listeners an occasion for such unadulterated joy. For "Candide" reminds us that, though the world has gone mad, we still sit rapt before the spectacle that only art offers and smile.

David Stahl, the CSO and all those singers did Lenny justice.

"The old man is still alive!"

Reach Adam Parker at 937-5902 or aparker@postandcourier.com.