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Bernstein's 'Candide,' a McCarthy-era comic opera, reflects 'undercurrent of pushing ahead in spite

American composer, conductor and pianist Leonard Bernstein conducting, circa 1975. (Erich Auerbach/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
American composer, conductor and pianist Leonard Bernstein conducting, circa 1975. (Erich Auerbach/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Got congressional hearings on your mind, with Jan. 6 hearings underway and historians recalling the Watergate hearings nearly 50 years ago?

Here & Now’s classical music critic Fran Hoepfner joins host Robin Young to discuss how Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s anti-communist hearings in 1954 inspired Leonard Bernstein’s 1956 comic opera “Candide,” about an idealistic young man’s clash with harsh reality.

Watch on YouTube.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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