Soundtrack Information

Topsy-Turvy

Topsy-Turvy

Sony Classical (ASK 61834)

Release Date: 1999

Format: CD

Music From

Track Listing

1. Behold! The Lord High Executioner (from "The Mikado")
[previewing track]
 
2. Overture (from "The Mikado")
[previewing track]
 
3. Three Little Maids From School Are We (from "The Mikado")
[previewing track]
 
4. Overture (from "Princess Ida")
[previewing track]
 
5. If you Give Me Your Attention (from "Princess Ida")
[previewing track]
 
6. Paris Galop
[previewing track]
 
7. Mi-ya Sa-ma / A More Humane Mikado (from "The Mikado")
[previewing track]
 
8. But Soft... / Why, Where Be Oi? (from "The Sorcerer)
[previewing track]
 
9. Alone
[previewing track]
 
10. The Criminal Cried as He Dropped Him Down (from "The Mikado")
[previewing track]
 
11. Overture (from "The Yeomen of the Guard")
[previewing track]
 
12. A Wand'ring Mistrel I (from "The Mikado")
[previewing track]
 
13. The Sun Whose Rays Are All Ablaze (from "The Mikado")
[previewing track]
 
14. End Titles
[previewing track]
 
15. Incantation (from "The Sorcerer")
[previewing track]
 
16. The Fitting
[previewing track]
 
17. The Final Chord
[previewing track]
 
18. The Mikado: Finale, Act Two (from "The Mikado")
[previewing track]
 
19. Resolutions
[previewing track]
 
Track lengths not available for this album. If you have track length/time information for this album, please e-mail it to us at mail@soundtrack.net and we will add it to the database.

Review: Topsy-Turvy

by Dan Goldwasser January 13, 2000
4 / 5 Stars

In the film Topsy-Turvy, director Mike Leigh explores the interesting relationship between librettist W.S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan as they work on their musical "The Mikado". Composer Carl Davis adapted the musical underscore from the works of Arthur Sullivan, and did a commendable job. The soundtrack album is filled with songs from Gilbert and Sullivan from "The Mikado", "Princess Ida", "The Sorcerer" and "The Yeomen of the Guard" - all of which (except "Yeomen") make a staged appearance in the film.

All of the songs appeared (in the film) to be performed by the actors themselves. These performances were rather well done, and I particularly enjoyed Martin Savage's musical performance as Grossmith in "Princess Ida" and "The Mikado", as well as the rest of the cast. The orchestral cues that Davis adapted for the score work rather well in the film - and provide a very important sense of continuity with the songs. If he had gone off and written his own music for the film, I somehow doubt it would have worked as well as it did with the adaptation.

Topsy-Turvy was a rather well done film, but it suffered from small lack of actual plot. The musical numbers were enjoyable, but the rest of the film seemed to drag at times, and made me wonder, "Why are they showing this?" But the music, which is rightfully a large significant part of the film, stood out as being top notch. After all - how can Gilbert and Sullivan go wrong?

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