June Anderson sings "Glitter and be Gay" from Bernstein's Candide

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This Thursday August 25 marks the birthday of the great American conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein, who was born on this day in 1918. He died on October 14, 1990.  One of the most prolific of composers, Bernstein's legacy includes symphonies, oratorios, operas, ballets, chamber music, songs, and instrumental works.  His operas, musicals and ballets (West Side Story, On The Town, Wonderful Town, Candide, Trouble In Tahiti, A Quiet Place, etc.) truly tap into the American culture and the American psyche arguably better than any other composer.  He was also a terrific lecturer and many of his talks were recorded for posterity.  To remember his birthday, here is American soprano June Anderson singing Cunegonde's "Glitter and be Gay" from Candide, with the composer on the podium. This performance took place in 1989, a year before the death of Bernstein.  At the end of the clip, you can see Bernstein speaking to the audience and expressing his thanks to the cast that also included Jerry Hadley and Christa Ludwig.

- Joseph K. So