Of one thing I am certain in this uncertain world: a production of Candide should not run three hours (including intermission), which this one did. Epstein, the company’s senior artistic advisor. In any case, it is not what Santa Fe Opera presented, since some material from the Scottish Opera Version was deleted and different bits were grafted on from other versions of Candide, a process realized here by Matthew A.

It is not my favorite among the versions, but at least it is relatively succinct, almost like a musical revue in which quite a few terrific numbers hang on the flimsiest of scenarios. Santa Fe Opera had stated that it would present the “Scottish Opera Version,” crafted for a 1988 production in Glasgow. Individual numbers came and went as he pursued his elusive goal, and each of the resultant versions has different pluses and minuses. Each of the seven versions of Candide Bernstein worked on offers a messy scenario. Directors start out from behind the eight ball in this piece.

Candide santa fe opera