It is very agreeable, in an age of specialism, to find the Academy taking a rest from earlier music and turning their talents to rather later and rather lighter. And their talents, very versatile ones, encompass the time-shifet not only without hazard, but with very great positive accomplishment: these are most beautiful performances of the repertoire concerned.
That repertoire is taken mostly from the operatic stage, where so often there are (even today, occasionally) orchestral excerpts which flourish in concert hall or in the park without help (or hindrance) of human voice. Light Cavalry, for example: a splendid overture, one of Suppe's best; but how many people, today, have seen the show on stage? The Merry Wives of Windsor, too, is familiar enough and enjoyable enough, where the overture is concerned; but, again, a stage performance is a relative rarity. And so too La Gioconda, in Britain anyway: but Disney (and others) have made sure that we know the ballet sequence.
The excerpts from the Russian operas are well known and readily enjoyed. Whether the Berlioz is, or should be, an opera is not to be argued here (many will likely have views of their own after the recent BBC televised performance). And the enjoyable Shostakovich excerpts (the Romance is a bit long-winded, though) are wholly non-operatic, yet have dramatic origins in the film The Gadfly, and later dramatic (?) associations in the music's use in the television spy-film world (the Romance was used in ATV's Reilly—ace of spies).
All the music is played to perfection. And recorded to perfection? Well, yes, in all normal respects. Save perhaps just one: the overall dynamic range is a bit wide for the living-room. If, in the ''Dance of the hours'' (placed first), you adjust the volume correctly at the beginning and sit back to enjoy memories of Disney (or even just the music!), you will likely be jumping up again, pretty soon, at the first climax.'