Dear Larry,
I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but the Playbill Steven Suskin review is less than stellar
Victor Herbert
DR Ben, thanks for posting this. Steven Suskin is clearly neither an operetta fan nor a musician, as his errors in his orchestration book attest to, and it's nice to know that he appreciates "Lysistrata Jones" (I did, too, but I never want to listen to a recording of it) over German lieder. We also learn he's not one to bother looking at the contents of a recording booklet before playing a CD, and he can't discuss the progress of music on Broadway between 1894 and 1924.
He certainly lets you know he hates the CD once he mentions the dread "German songs." So, he likes "Broadway," but he can't say much good there either.
chacun à son gout!
I'm not expecting everyone to like the set, and I expect that for everyone who enjoys it, another will not. That's life.
I am still a fan of Mr Suskin's work, even when I disagree wth him.