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© KangHee Kim
Candide
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May 2025 | ||||||
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Candide - Leonard Bernstein
An operetta in two acts. Concert version.
Performed in English with German and English supertitles
Lyrics by Richard Wilbur. With additional lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, John LaTouche, Dorothy Parker, Lillian Hellman and Leonard Bernstein. Narrative text by Loriot, adapted from the satire by Voltaire and the book by Hugh Wheeler. Orchestrations by Leonard Bernstein and Hershy Kay. Musical continuity and additional orchestrations by John Mauceri
Premiere: May 11, 2025
Where is it, this „best of all possible worlds”? Candide, who grows up with the Baron’s offspring in tranquil Westphalia, is cast out of the castle because of his love for Cunegonde. An adventure-filled journey begins for the naive young man, which takes him around the globe from one absurd catastrophe to the next.
Based on Voltaire’s satire „Candide ou l’optimisme“, Leonard Bernstein created a masterpiece of modern operetta about the madness of the world. In a witty and lively mixture of opera, musical and revue, he not only parodies traditional dance forms such as the gavotte, mazurka, polka and waltz, but also slyly sprinkles the score with the operatic quotations.
Another highlight of this concert version are the sparkling and humorous interludes by Loriot, spoken by Jan Josef Liefers, well known as the opera-loving coroner from the German detective series Tatort, who is returning to his hometown for this production. A wonderfully amusing and absurd evening, brilliantly orchestrated and bursting with humour and sophistication!
Program and cast
Narrator: Jan Josef Liefers
Candide: David Butt Philip
Cunegonde: Erin Morley
Old Lady: Tichina Vaughn
Doctor Pangloss · Martin: Christoph Pohl
Governor · Vanderdendur · Ragotski: Aaron Pegram
Paquette: Rosalia Cid
Maximilian: Joshua Hopkins
Cosmetic Merchant · Inquisitor I · Charles Edward: Simeon Esper
Doctor · Inquisitor II: Vladyslav Buyalskiy
Bear-keeper · Inquisitor III · Tsar Ivan: Robert Bork
Alchemist · Sultan Achmet · Crook: Timothy Oliver
Junkman · Hermann Augustus · Croupier: Padraic Rowan
Musical Direction: Karen Kamensek
Choir: Jan Hoffmann
Dramaturgy: Dorothee Harpain
Saxon State Opera Chorus Dresden
Saxon State Orchestra Dresden
Semperoper Dresden
The Semperoper is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper ballet. The building is located near the Elbe River in the historic centre of Dresden, Germany.
The opera house was originally built by the architect Gottfried Semper in 1841. After a devastating fire in 1869, the opera house was rebuilt, partly again by Semper, and completed in 1878. The opera house has a long history of premieres, including major works by Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss.
The first opera house at the location of today's Semperoper was built by the architect Gottfried Semper. It opened on 13 April 1841 with an opera by Carl Maria von Weber. The building style itself is debated among many, as it has features that appear in three styles; Early Renaissance and Baroque, with Corinthian style pillars typical of Greek classical revival. Perhaps the most suitable label for this style would be eclecticism, where influences from many styles are used, a practice most common during this period. Nevertheless, the opera building, Semper's first, is regarded as one of the most beautiful European opera houses.
© KangHee Kim
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