"Glitter and be gay" from Candide (operetta) by Leonard Berstein

Candide is an operetta with music composed by Leonard Bernstein, based on the novella of the same name by Voltaire.Cunegonde's coloratura aria Glitter and Be Gay is a favourite showpiece for many sopranos.This aria poses considerable difficulties. Technically, it is among the most fiendishly challenging coloratura soprano arias. If sung as written throughout (alternative phrases are provided at several points in the score), there are three high E-flats (above high C), two staccato and one sustained; there are also numerous uses of high C and D-flat. Some of the florid passages are very intricate, calling for marksmanship of the highest order. Theatrically, it demands an elaborate comic staging, in which Cunegonde adorns herself with jewellery while singing and dancing around the stage.