EMI could scarcely have come up with a better way to lauch its new West End Angel series. The Arcadians represents almost 90 years of West End theatre history and shows it at its best. It's a work that is quintessentially British and yet has nothing to fear from comparisons across either the Channel or the Atlantic. What is more, EMI has done a most imaginative job in putting together a compilation from recordings going right back to the work's premiere. It's a two-and-a-half-in-one compilation, combining historical original-cast recordings with the best of modern studio re-creations.
At the core is the fine 1968 recording, under the baton of operetta expert Vilem Tausky, and with a cast led by the vivacious soprano of June Brownhill, whose vocal brightness and verbal clarity caused so many hearts to flutter in the late-1950s and 1960s. She is supported by a cast aptly chosen to reflect the acting and singing requirements of the score, with Ann Howard ravishing as ''The girl with a brogue'' and Jon Pertwee an ideal choice for the lugubrious ''My Motter''. What is more, EMI has taken the trouble not only to put the numbers in correct sequence but to interpolate a couple of numbers missing from this recording but included in a Music for Pleasure version that came out at almost the same time.
No less valuable, as much for comparison purposes as for making up an original cast compilation, are the final seven tracks, reproducing all that was recorded by original cast members. There is the young Phyllis Dare with Eileen's two solos, Alfred Lester with a ''My Motter'' that is pure music-hall, and Florence Smithson in four of Sombra's songs, demonstrating breathtaking coloratura virtuosity and some remarkable pianissimo high notes.
This is music that is ''always merry and bright'', gloriously tuneful and opulently scored. It's a compilation that should not be missed'