Leonard Bernstein was born 100 years ago today.  He was a conductor, composer, teacher, philosopher, and for many people — myself included — the person who introduced us to classical music as more than just music.

There are a lot of his compositions that I love from “Fancy Free” to “West Side Story” to his symphonies and piano pieces, but the score to the musical/operetta “Candide” holds a special place in my heart.  In 1985 the University of Colorado did a production of it and Allen and I were recruited to work on it… as the boat that won’t float (at 4:45 into this recording).  We loved the score and wore out the cassette on our trip to Europe that winter.  So I’ve selected the suite from “Candide” to remember Lenny and honor a precious memory.