June Anderson - CANDIDE (1991)

[castodivo]

June Anderson in her fabulous prime. She's never performed better!

[musicalsandstuff]

it's not a musical, it's an operetta!

[DevoteedeVaccaj]

My favourite performance of this song is Harolynn Blackwell on the revival CD. Sadly, I don't think there's any footage of her singing this song. For concert performances, I think Diana Damrau comes a close second.

[renethel]

R.I.P. Bea Arthur. I thought of this when I found out she died.

[nicosupersex]

and she's sucha mature singer, there's no note out of place!!!!

[nicosupersex]

her dress is awsome

[tenore23]

June was never known for being the best dressed on concerts. This little number is fabulous!

[mapadoo]

Does anyone know where I can get this entire show? I had it taped a long time ago the one time I caught it on PBS. I have not been able to find it since....

[ParideArduenna]

She wears the crown in the wrong way...

[beppejoel]

how can you be so worried about the bloody crown when you should be blown away by the way she sings.....you obviously understand squat about singing. wgy did you bother to watch if thats all you've got to say

[ParideArduenna]

I'm really impressed by your words. Really.

Yawn.

[tatyrules12]

i love kristin's cuz its so funny

but then i dont really know how this should be performed but i love this persons voice (sorry i dont know about opera that much)

but she sounds soooo pretty

[robles146]

I agree wiht you... her voice is really nice.

[HangOnVoltaire]

I could listen to this all day. I agree about the Chenoweth rendition. I cringe when I hear her sing this. June Anderson is amazing. I love this score. LOVE IT!

[dmitrih1]

Brava June! She created the commercial standard for this aria. Great job.

[RaWrZzZz]

YAYYYY CANDIDE!

[RaWrZzZz]

ummm scary??

[oprahnoodlemantra]

This and Kristin Chenoweth's version are my favorites. Two extremely different yet brilliant interpretations, in my opinion.

[oprahnoodlemantra]

Add Sumi Jo's vocal performance to that. I saw it a second after I posted that.

[morbidkitty]

hahah for a second i was like "why is bea arthur singing glitter and be gay?????" oh me....

[nicevidbro]

very very very very very very very very very very good. i liked it a lot!

[weatdamal]

GREAT INTRO BY BEA ARTHUR!!!

[Wiltenor1]

I AGREE .... I THINK IT'S CLASSIC !!

[ruckub]

June Anderson has it all...a beautiful voice, great stage presence, and a smokin' bod!

[nicevidbro]

yeaaaaahhh!!

[Wiltenor1]

Yes, indeed!

[trekkie2006]

I just saw this being performed by a Master's Student going to audition for the Met Auditions. This song is not what she's singingb, but she sang it during one of our honor choir rehearsals and, in my opinion, I liked hers much better, but this one is good too!

[ConcertPianist]

I prefer Anderson's classical/ traditional approach more than I prefer Chenowith's. Of course, I am much of a traditionalist. After accompanying my sister with this for her entrance into UCLA, I would have to say I like Anderson's rendition better.

[votebarackobama]

although she has a beautiful voice, June Anderson has no flare with articulation, and she is sort of a boring spectacle. wonderful performance, though.

[nickbigd]

votebarackobama: i'm sorry but i've never found Ms. Anderson a "sort of a boring spectacle." i guess you might be disappointed if you were looking for a Chenoweth-like performance, but Bernstein's choices for this role were 1st Barbara Cook and then Ms. Anderson - neither of them remotely Chenoweth-like.

[votebarackobama]

oh don't get me wrong! her voice is absolutely epic. the production with adolph green is my favorite. however, her performance skills and stage presence are certainly not memorable.

for the record, I am not a fan of chenoweth's rendition of this score.

[gohar002]

you must see the video directed by Bernestein... He seems to agree with June's interpretation.. And he is the author of the musical... So his opinion is most important than y... I love Nathalie Dessay, and I think that her high notes are better than June, like her interpretation of the aria... But it is a must to agree with Berni's opinion... He is the author ;) Chenoweth's interprtation is very "little", in comparing with June and Nathalie...

[noahsdad61]

No--Voltaire is the author of the work on which this is based. Bernstein is a brilliant collaborator, and his vision deserves some respect, obviously. Yet sometimes, a great artist elucidates a role to a degree not foreseen by a composer or author. That's what Miss Chenoweth does in her interpretation. The work is a very dark satire, and she captures that spirit perfectly. I think Voltaire would have approved.

[lyside1]

Berni rereads Voltaire... But It's HIS vision of Candide on the stage!!!!

[agnellodei]

Kristin Chenoweth's version is the funniest, but even though she claims a 4 octave range her high C and E are shrill as hell. Best high notes soprano is Natalie Dessay.

[Safuza]

Cheno has always been my fav

[margeewhatruth]

she's good, but kristin chenoweth has found the humor like noone else has been able too.

[GlindaandChenofan07]

I agree.

Personally I think Kristin Chenoweth does it better.

[nickbigd]

Sorry. I love Kristin C, but I've seen her massacre this number. Not for nothin' did Lenny pick June for his final concert and recording of this work.

[orca1142]

I think the best person to sing Glitter and be gay is Kristin Chenoweth, of course, I am no opera professional. So don't kill me for saying that. CUz she has the clearest high notes out of all that I heard.

[nickbigd]

orca1142 - I won't kill you but I will disagree with you, heartilyl. Kristin is good - better actress no doubt - but to say she has clearer notes is just wrong.

[orca1142]

I think that this lady's high notes are just really clouded. I also like natalie dessay's version. She has clear high notes as well.

[virgenmorena]

she is great!!! here is better than Natalie.

the high notes are very clear. i love both, dessay and andreson.

[Windgrace]

Hmmm...June has very clear diction but I still prefer Dessay. :0

[bwebr]

I hate comparing two performances by different performers, but June's diction is so much better than Natalie's or Sumi Jo's. English is just so hard to sing. Not overacted, spot on. and a live performance! wow.

[morningtide]

wow...that was spot on!

[nickbigd]

Natalie Dessay performed Glitter and Be Gay at the Victoires de la Musique in Paris a month or so ago - the night June Anderson was there to receive a lifetime achievement award. Natalie congratulated June and said it was an honor to sing this song because she (Natalie) is such a fan of June.

[NewMinako]

My Heart belongs to Natalie Dessay

[tklogan11809]

June Anderson was Lenny's favorite Cunegunde, and I can see why. I'm glad I never got to hear Fleming, America's Sweetwhore, butcher the piece.

[TheDarkOne05]

It's obviously good, but I do prefer Dessay. And my favourite has to be Fleming - I know she's not everyone's first choice, but her interpretation is fantastic.

[nickbigd]

Renee would not even be my third or fourth choice when it comes to this aria.

[SexiTeddy]

I think Mrs Fleming did an excellent job as she does in all her songs, but Mrs Dessay stole the show!!!

[KristinKewi]

why cant she afford dress?

[nickbigd]

this was 1991 - let's see what YOU were wearing 16 years ago...

[geoden]

I've never ever heard a 'spotty' June Anderson ever! You sure her pure notes weren't resonating with one of your loose fillings?

[nickbigd]

LOL. exactly!

[KristinKewi]

I SOOOO agree with u jasmineblossom84

[jasmineblossom84]

You know who's amazing with this: Kristin Chenoweth. Though I like a few classical singers' versions, she has great technique and her interpretation is the most entertaining I've seen.

[MatiiOh88]

THANK YOU!!!

[nickbigd]

June Anderson neither was nor is "spotty."

[BeauTenor]

I know June Anderson was always...spotty at best, but when I think of this aria, her voice is the one I hear in my head singing it. She's a GREAT Cunegonde. Upshaw has done it on disc too, and is surprisingly good.

[coryisawake]

omg bea arthur!!!

[arnaubarcelo]

i prefer natalie dessay's interpretation by far!!

[Fredzeblak]

A much better performance than in the DVD in a recital version with Bernstein conducting. The voice is pure. Her acting is not adding anything to the aria, it cuts it more than it serves it. But very good indeed. Natalie dessay stands above, thanks to her acting, and her voice is wanderful too!

[foxxywilma]

it's interesting...bernstein was definately a bridge between the realms of classical opera and american musical theatre, so really this piece can go either way. while i'm a purist when it comes to vocals, i much prefer a strongly acted performance (cheno) over "beautiful pianissimos" (dessay). june anderson is somewhere in the middle for me. this opera is so campy though, so i think i prefer cheno's interpretation over all.

[Leanrosso]

I would like to know who is the artist introducing June Anderson. She is quite funny herself. Gracias.

[IamGrrrr]

Bea Arthur

[highkicker69]

This is one of the cleanest I have EVER heard it

[galxy59]

By this point in the opera Cunegonde has been raped by a bulgarian army and seen her parents and friends killed right before her very eyes. It's a (strange)comedy, but this piece isn't really supposed to be that uplifting.

[VerdianoBR]

I don't think this song is supposed to be lighthearted at all! Cunegonde's complaining about her fate and just wants to hide her real sadness with laughters. Besides, June Anderson sings amazingly well. ;-)

[noahsdad61]

It's bitter humor--but you're right, not lighthearted at all. I don't think it's about hiding sadness with laughter, though. All the characters, except Candide himself, are self-serving in one way or another. In Cunegonde's case, at this point, she is being "shared" by 3 rich men in Lisbon, and she has decided she can live with that--in a way, vanity and greed are her survival skills. It should be unsettlingly funny, and we should recognize our own self-regard as a milder form of hers.

[hunnybfly]

ha i almost thought bea arthur was going to sing

[sour7lemon]

It's quite slow.. and she seems too concerned about making her voice as beautiful as possible and adding as much vibrato as possible, and not paying enough attention to the song. If she can't take it fast, why bother doing it?

Good singing i guess.

[jazzitlikeopera]

While she hits the notes beautifully, she does take the song rather slow and can make it depressing, when it really should be more lighthearted.

[witchygrrl]

This might sound weird, but I love her "Ha"'s...They flow together so well, which rarely happens when I hear renditions of this song. So many women always sound so out of breath singing them, so I love her just for that!

[kimokao]

:) her voice is outstanding!!!