Amazon.co.uk Review
Mike Leigh bravely decided to use actors who could sing (rather than vice-versa) in his film
Topsy-Turvy, which is about the genesis of Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta
The Mikado. On celluloid, his bravery is well repaid, for there is always something pleasing about hearing real, rather than dubbed, voices, and in watching "real" performances. (And Allun Corduner, who plays Sullivan, is also a pretty impressive pianist and a joy to watch.) On disc, the case is altered slightly, because this recording is up against some fantastic G&S albums made by singers who possess (to put it bluntly) much better voices. However, the selection of material is interesting and doesn't always present the obvious G&S showstoppers, and Carl Davis has woven the whole project together with nifty splicings and cross-borrowings from all the operas. The album retains much of the charm of the film and though there may be better G&S recordings, this is still an excellent memento. --
Warwick Thompson
