Overture to "Candide"

This first time I heard this piece of music, I wasn't completely taken by it. The first time I played it, I absolutely loved it. Maybe it was something about being there in the middle of the music and being able to feel the energy in the hall. This piece is high-energy, but I think that with this piece of music specifically (although some people will argue every piece of music) experiencing it live in a concert hall gives you the full effect.

You may be acquainted with the satirical novel "Candide" or sometimes known as "Optimism" by Voltaire, from which this music is modeled after. Like the literature, Leonard Bernstein's composition is full of musical "jokes" and lots of little themes seem to spring up randomly throughout the piece, as if someone had been talking and then been distracted. The percussion lays down lots of big bangs and crashes, but they are always offset by a cheerful melody in the strings or woodwinds. This music is certainly optimistic and sometimes romantic, just like Voltaire's character, Candide.

Here is the Overture to Candide with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by the composer himself, Leonard Bernstein.