The Phantom of the Opera (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
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Free Music Notes for The Phantom of the Opera (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Free Music Review: I gave you my music, made your song take wing...
Hit: 5 Stars
I have lots I'd like to say about this incredible album, but M. Menzer has already said most of it...
As an 18-year-old movie fan who had never seen the stage show, I fell in love with the music from this gorgeous movie the first time I saw it. My uncle, on the other hand, who has seen it on Broadway six times, had various complaints. So, to be fair, I borrowed his Crawford/Brightman album.
Now I'm sure my judgement is biased by having seen the movie version first, but I wasn't impressed with the Broadway cast album. Compared to Gerard Butler's deep, resonant voice, Michael Crawford's sounded tinny and squawkish at times. Compared to Butler's more natural pronunciations, Crawford's "professional" singing accent sounded pretentious. I noted this particularly during "The Mirror (Angel of Music)" scene. But, as I said, M. Menzer has already covered all of these bases.
I guess it's all in what you're used to, but I find this version far preferable to the Broadway recording. In general though, no matter what version I'm listening to, I never fail to be impressed with Webber's exquisite melodies. I've heard a lot of criticism for the man himself, but there's no denying his talent for composing the most beautiful music.
For fans of the movie debating whether to pay more for the extended version, it depends. This version is very nearly the entire soundtrack of the movie, dialog and all. It allows for the inclusion of shorter musical parts ("Why Have You Brought Me Here/Raoul I've Been There," for example, and "I Remember/Stranger Than You Dreamt It"), but also includes some slightly tiresome dialog (I spend a lot of time skipping through tracks) between most songs.
In response to M. Menzer's comments about the main "Phantom of the Opera" theme, I agree! I like the fullness, but I preferred the more organ-based version from the Broadway show to the guitars and hand-claps. The electric guitars seem quite out of place, but the acoustic ones get on my nerves even more! If you listen carefully, nearly the whole song is accompanied by this strumming acoustic guitar that sounds as if belongs in an Eagles song.
And as for "Learn to be Lonely," it's not THAT bad. The lyrics are really pretty good, and Minnie Driver does it adequate justice. The only real problem is that it just doesn't fit. After the richness of the music and the superb singing on the rest of the album, "Learn to be Lonely" sounds like what it is - a glorified soft-rock ballad. But listened to on its own, it isn't bad.
These are just the thoughts of an 18 year old English major and classic rock fan - I'm not a music major or a Broadway buff. But the beauty of the music and the outstanding acting and cinematography of the movie captured from the beginning. As I said, M. Menzer has already said most of what I had to say, and I commend them for saying what needed to be said.
Free Music Review: I'll take Butler and Wilson in a Bottle, Please
Hit: 5 Stars
I first fell in love with POTO when we did it for a marching show when I was a freshman in high school. I'm sure some of you "purists" are dying right now, thinking "a marching show? How could they?" I'll take Phantom in any form or fashion dangit! Does it really matter how someone comes to appreciate music, as long as they do? I teach middle school now and I frequently play soundtracks, classical music, etc. during class and my students moan and groan "I hate this...blah blah". Bare-bone instruments and voice is music at it's roots...it's where you get your hip-hop and rock. Not to dwell on that...
For those of you who are upset that ALW's POTO goes astray from Leroux's original work:
1. It was out of print when ALW wrote POTO, so Leroux is LUCKY that anyone even bothered to pick his dusty CLASSIC up and read it, no less make it popular again. (I'm an English teacher, so I feel justified saying these things.)
2. If you bought the CD and/or saw the movie did you NOT realize it was a musical and would probably not be the same? hmm...It's called artistic license!
3. Leroux's work also focused on Gounod's Foust, so THANK GOD AWL decided to write his own stuff!
That being said:
Butler is great as Phantom. Crawford is good, no doubt, he knows (haha). I think it's great they put a sexy spin on the Christine/Phantom relationship. I could never figure out why she would go for him before.
Emmy does a good job as Christine. Her voice is unique. Christine is not supposed to have an "operatic" voice. That's the point. I've heard some awful Christines onstage. I do like Brightman's original version, but not everyone can sing like her. Everyone needs to stop comparing the two women.
Patrick Wilson is awesome as Raoul. He isn't a big wimp like his on-stage counterpart and his voice is like "buttah". This is focused more towards the movie, but I'm so glad to see non-balding, sexy, good-looking men in the "leading-man" roles. The ones I've seen on stage have had good voices, but sad faces. Ugh...can't we get some pretty, straight boys on stage? C'mon!
I do feel sorry for the woman who sang the role of Carlotta. Minnie Driver's "Italian" accent is just about as good as mine and I've always thought the "Carlotta" role was the best voice in the musical. That's not the case in this version, but she still did a good job, even though she got gypped in the credits.
There has also been some picking on the girl who sang the part of Meg. Meg is supposed to be kind of crappy. She's just a dancer. The girl who sang Meg's part on the original CD wasn't good, either. Where have ya'll been?
Overall: LOVE IT! I still listen to the original, but I also love the new one. Why are you listening to all of us though? Buy it and decide for yourself!
Free Music Review: The best it can be.
Hit: 5 Stars
I think we're far enough removed (in years) from the original broadway recording that we can look at the movie and listen to the soundtrack with a fresh set of eyes and ears. If at all you think the singing is lacking in the new recording, the wonderful sheer drama of the performance makes up for it almost ten fold. The main trio of the movie, in my opinion, are absolutely perfect (their voices also blend very nicely with each other - which is important):
Gerard Butler has a sort of rich rock tenor voice, which is actually very pleasant at times, and quite "raw" when the scenes call for it, especially at the end of the movie. Forget Michael Crawford, Butler really puts his soul into these lyrics. He also looks GREAT as the phantom. And for all those who wanted an operatic tenor for the Phantom, let's not forget the original intent for the stage - Steve Harley, who was like a wild british rocker dude and was first to record "The Phantom of the Opera" song with Sarah Brightman - the song was originally "orchestrated" with a large rock band with wall-to-wall guitars. The song was always meant to have elements of rock and in fact, the guitar solo at the end of the new version is practically note-for-note the same as the original, now obscure version.
Emmy Rossum is very beautiful, with a beautiful young voice. She was a perfect choice for every reason. At the age of 17 (which is how old she was when filming), most voices (at least when referring to opera-like voices) are just not quite fully developed. This youthful aspect shines through and authenticates a Christine Daae who is supposed to be around 16 years old. What is also impressive is being able to distinguish practically every word when she's singing in her highest registers. When Brightman sang above a certain note, it didn't sound like words anymore.
Also, Rossum's performance of "Wishing you were here..." is the most beautiful that song has ever sounded. I get the sense that she was able to "feel" the subtleties of the music and its harmonies all throughout the movie.
Patrick Wilson, with his noble looks, and his pure natural tenor voice, was indeed the perfect man for Raoul. The singing seemed to be easy for him, like anyone could do it. It makes sense for a fearless, sophisticated aristocrat. "All I Ask..." was practically written for him. Bravo.
The revised orchestrations by David Cullen are grandiose and vibrant and the hand-picked orchestra itself does a truly wonderful job (the BRASS players are out of this world!!!). Also, much credit should be given to the recording engineers for making the recording sound so vivid. This movie and soundtrack can not be better. Try this experiment: listen to the movie recording, then listen to the original london cast. I think you will find that the movie has this deep emotional core that the original does not have.
Free Music Review: BEST Recording since the original London cast!!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
I'm not sure what CD some of these other reviewers are listening to, but I know I LOVE this rendition of The Phantom of the Opera!
First - THE ORCHESTRA, WHICH CONSISTS OF 100 MEMBERS, IS AMAZING! All other recordings of Phantom have only been with standard broadway size orchestras. This sountrack sounds so full, rich, and complete that I would purchase it just for the music. Also, the new scoring which has taken place, which some have complained about, I imagine was written because Andrew Lloyd Webber never had the chance to beef up his original score due to lack of instruments in his orchestra. But, now with 100 instruments, he can have full command of his music and it truly reaches it's full potential.
SECOND - The Phantom if not half as bad as some complain. They are just so stuck on the original london cast leads, that they are unwilling to except anything then an exact duplication of that recording. No matter who they picked, these people would have despised them for not being MC and SB. I had a moment or two of hesitation to enjoy the new Phantom's performance, but, guess what? I put Micheal Crawford's voice out of my head and opened my mind to a new sound for the Phantom, and I am able to fully appreciate this new rendition. Crawford was WAY TOO OLD to play the Phantom. I'm sorry, but a man in his sixties, onto his seventies, can NOT play the Phantom on film.
THIRD - I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE COMPLAINING ABOUT EMMY AS CHRISTINE. I am so happy Joel S. had the courage to choose someone as young as her for the part. In the original text of the Phantom, Christine is supposed to be a young girl, of around 16 or 17 as Emmy Rossum is, whom is not into her womanhood yet. THIS GIRL FITS THE PART. She can sing beautifully, and she hits the notes. IM SORRY, BUT ONCE AGAIN, SARAH BRIGHTMAN IS WAY TOO OLD TO PLAY THE PART. She is into her late thirties by now, and that is NOT the age of Christine. This is not a stage play, but a movie, and it has to be convincing.
THIRD - This soundtrack has the best Raoul I have ever heard ever on any recording. Plain and simple.
Those refusing to see the movie now because of this soundtrack are stubborn. They are missing out of the most elaborate sets, costumes, and cinematography to hit the big screen this year, as well as the incredible music of Webber. I'm not sure what all the complaining over this recording is. Nobody seemed to care when Chicago, which I love the soundtrack to as well, had a cast that couldn't sing like Broadway stars (with the exception of Zeta Jones). My advice; push MC and SB out of your head. Their Phantom was of a different time. The music has been rescroed for a contemporary audience and is ready to be enjoyed, and it is as if it is the first time you are hearing it.
Free Music Review: I Believe I Was Beaten to the Crawford/Brightman Contrasts.
Hit: 5 Stars
Immediately when I opened the disc (I admittedly only own the single disc) and played it for the first time, I was grossly disappointed by Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum's voices as compared to Michael Crawford's and Sarah Brightman's...however, I quickly came to realize that if I wanted to listen to their voices I'd pop in the original cast recording (which, by the way, is the better of the two).
The voices are distinctly different from Crawford's tenor and Brightman's extreme soprano, and you can hear that Butler sings in a lower, almost bass voice, and Rossum in a messo-soprano. It is a nice alternative for different moods, and to any Phantomphile a worthy purchase.
Jumping right into the songs...although one of the greatest songs ever written, "Phantom of the Opera," was skewed into a rock, almost Top 40 friendly version of the classic Crawford-Brightman duet. They not only cut the Phantom's second verse, but changed the background from Gothic Dance to Rock, but that is probably to simply help hit the mainstream-all-ages movie target. As well, I do not particuarly like Butler's staccato-laced, contemporary deliverance of the one verse they let him keep. The vowels are also sung differently in some cases, most notably "in one combined," but that's easy to gloss over when you learn to appreciate the different deliverance. "Point of No Return" truly rivals Brightman and Crawford's version (Butler and Rossum's voices are very suited for the material), and "Track Down This Murderer" is just as chilling. Most of the songs are a step down from the original cast recording, but still notable.
"Phantom," itself, the soundtrack, is classic no matter whom it's delivered by, on that note. Andrew Lloyd Webber is an extraordinary writer, and his collaborator Charles Hart is top-notch by any measure. If you're new to "Phantom" however I must recommend the original cast recording and I cannot stress that enough, for it is the superior of the two, though without the nice photography, quotes, and the quick, mediocre filler song "Learn to be Lonely" by Minnie Driver (written by Webber).
It's hard to review a disc like "Phantom," inasmuch as the majority of those reading are going to be fans of the show already wondering if they should buy the soundtrack, and the songs are widely known. These are not radio artists, they are trained singers with unique voices that fit the songs. Andrew Lloyd Webber himself (and I derive this from the insert) said he considered how the film was carried out "fabulous," and "captures the essence of the show."
How about we leave this at -- if it's good enough for Webber, it's good enough for you?
By any rate, in the words of Webber, a fabulous purchase. By any measure.
Grade: A
Buy?: Yes