Music composed by Carl Davis.
Personnel: Carl Davis (conductor); Dorothy Atkinson, Eleanor David, Vincent Franklin, Louise Gold, Shirley Henderson, Kevin McKidd, Cathy Sara, Martin Savage, Michael Simkins, Timothy Spall (vocals); Kacey Ainsworth, Lorraine Brunning, Rosie Cavaliero, Michelle Chadwick, Debbie Chazen, Heather Craney, Monica Dolan, Sophie Duval, Anna Francolini, Teresa Gallagher, Sarah Howe, Ashley Jensen, Julie Jupp, Gemma Page, Mary Roscoe, Nicola Wainwright, Angie Wallis, Ashley Artus, Richard Attlee, Paul Barnhill, Mark Benton, Nicholas Boulton, simon Butteriss, Wayne Cater, Richard Coyle, Paul Rider, Steven Spiers, Kevin Walton, John Warnaby, Stefan Bednarczyk, Tom Fahy, John Griffiths, Paul Leonard (background vocals).
Recorded at Angel Studios & CTS Studios, London, England between July 1998 & March 1999. Includes liner notes by Mike Leigh.
Director Mike Leigh is known for films focusing on the stark realities of contemporary working-class Britain, so his exploration of Gilbert & Sullivan's milieu in TOPSY-TURVY is quite a change of pace. However, by digging into the motivations and machinations behind the men and their music, Leigh brings us closer to the human element. The classic Gilbert & Sullivan material performed in the film and contained on this soundtrack is similarly illuminated. The songs are drawn mostly from THE MIKADO, whose production is the focus of the film, but selections from PRINCESS IDA, THE SORCEROR, and THE YOEMEN OF THE GUARD are also included. Thus, TOPSY-TURVY offers a fair overview of the duo's canon. Though G&S classics like HMS PINAFORE and THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE are unrepresented here, the material is rich enough with Sullivan's elegant, semi-classical themes and Gilbert's hyperliterary, tongue-twisting, and very English lyrics to give novices a good idea of what Gilbert & Sullivan were about.