These settings of Alan Jay Lerner lyrics may not be his [Terfel's] native song but this archetypal romantic lyricism seems to have found a place in the Welshman's heart . . . Those who have the earlier Rodgers and Hammerstein CD will thrill once again at hearing songs sung in a way that is seldom heard in the theatre -- the sustaining of the melodic line, the word-painting, the dynamic range, sensibly modified now, and an often unexpected lightness of touch . . . As on his earlier disc Paul Daniel has such a natural affinity when accompanying Terfel with the English Northern Philharmonia that he might well have been conducting such music all his life . . . An exemplary recording and booklet-notes are further assets.

Terfel is virtually unique amongst opera singers in being able to cross over the road to the side labelled 'musicals' . . . He's simply a natural for the repertoire. It's partly a question of being able to utilise his tone positively, and without any suggestion of compromise, and partly an ability to achieve that tricky balance between speech and song that so many numbers here require.