This is the strangest collection of “favourites” from G&S I’ve ever encountered, and as such has a certain value that other collections do not. When one thinks of G&S “Favourites” (with or without the “u”) don’t The Pirates of Penzance and HMS Pinafore come to mind? If Mikado is part of the mix, wouldn’t you expect “Our great Mikado, virtuous man…” to be included? Well, this CD is more of a primer for those already familiar with some of G&S’s greatest hits, and instead offers fare from, in addition to Mikado, four other popular works, though surely not as popular as Pirates or Pinafore. That having been said, I also find the chosen selections rather odd: Where is “My eyes are fully opened to this awful situation” from Ruddigore, surely one of the great patter trios ever penned, and “I have a song to sing, O” from Yeomen, a gorgeous introduction to the sad central character, Jack Point? Well, enough complaining–just hearing the Nightmare Song from Iolanthe is practically good enough, and the performances of all the excerpts are about as good as they get. Be warned, but be entertained. [2/12/2000]
