In the fall of 2004, Christian Capocaccia emigrated from Italy and arrived at the State University of New York at Fredonia. The school was putting on a showing of “Candide” by Leonard Bernstein, and Capocaccia became the assistant conductor.

In many ways, the operetta mirrored his own journey, Capocaccia said. He remembers feeling the same “emotional distress” that Candide, the main character, experienced traveling from one country to the next.

Now, a little more than 15 years later, Capocaccia is returning to New York as the conductor of a one-day showing of Bernstein’s “Candide” this Sunday at The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater. Directing the operetta is Julie Newell, who was previously the stage director for the 2004 showing in Fredonia.

Student tickets are $10, and Newell said the piece is especially striking for the younger generation because it is a coming-of-age tale. The 24-member chorus is made up of all-local talent, including Lucia Helgren, the Cortland-area local playing leading-lady Cunégonde.

“I’m happy to have this forum to show off the significant talent of our area,” Syracuse native Newell said, “because it’s a pretty well-kept secret.”

Operas can get a bad name, Newell said. Typically, they are in a foreign language with supertitles, or subtitles that appear above the stage, to aid viewers in following the story. There are plot points, often with a character dying at the beginning or end of the show and a love triangle of some sort. But with a foreign language being fed to the audience, it’s hard enough to keep track of what’s being said, let alone the storyline that accompanies it.

“Candide,” however, is in English. There are stabbings and an earthquake. Characters die multiple times, and climactic moments are spread throughout the piece. While Newell said that the original book by Voltaire or manuscripts of the operetta by Bernstein are dense, seeing it live removes a lot of confusion. Newell compares watching the show to being on Disney’s Space Mountain rollercoaster. “Candide” moves fast, and the audience doesn’t know what to expect next.

“It blows up preconceived notions about what going to the opera is about,” Newell said.

Capocaccia compares much of Cunégonde’s singing to the scene in “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” where the Fat Lady breaks her wine glass in an effort to prove how high she can sing. Bernstein designed the operetta to almost mock other operas. The singing is exaggerated, and there are moments after finishing a number where the actress or actor will take deep breaths to show how hard it really was to reach the high notes.

Many of the scenes are shocking, such as when Cunégonde essentially is sold into sexual slavery, Newell said. But the stories told within the piece are not as important as the music that comes after. After she is bought, Cunégonde sings one of the most recognizable pieces from “Candide”: “Glitter And Be Gay.” It’s a satirical reflection exploring the toxic character arcs of any soprano in an opera in which they do have to sell a part of themselves for riches, Capocaccia said.

In most operas, Capocaccia said there’s a set style to the different numbers within a piece. Many famous operas use Mozart’s music, and within them, the numbers all carry Mozart’s unique composing style.

Bernstein, a modern composer, takes inspiration from many different sources and melds them together into one operetta, “Candide.” The musical genre changes depending on where the scenes are set. For example, Candide lands in South America, so there are more Latin- or Spanish-influenced numbers. The chorus travels around the world and into fictional cities as well.

“(‘Candide’ is) not a genre,” Capocaccia said. “It’s a piece of its own.”

There are plenty of memorable tunes the audience will hum as they exit the theater, Capocaccia said. He added that “Candide” is a “masterpiece” because after providing entertainment, it makes the viewer realize that most elements of the show serve as satirical devices. These devices explore philosophical and artistic themes as relating to opera.

“It doesn’t hit you over the head and say make the world a better place,” Newell said. “You know that’s the story you’ve been told, and you leave thinking, ‘Yeah, I get that. I had a great time, and now I have to feel inspired.’”

Published on February 5, 2020 at 11:09 pm

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