Official Phantom Cast Recordings

Yes, the new Korean CD is lovely, even though it's the Toronto backing, it just sounds really lush. And the bonus tracks are a big plus.

I've been thinking of buying some of those studio cast recordings, what do you recommend?

For me, the only Studio one worth it's salt is the one with Ethan Freeman and Clarie Moore, It also has many other former cast members: Carlotta from the UK tour, Managers from London. Meg who was a Christine Alternate. Giry is the only one who I dont think ever played the role.

Pluss there are the 3 or 4 bonus Sunset tracks at the end.

Also the orchestrations are very close to the real ones, alot of the other studio recordings just sound awfull and the singers used would never get cast in the show for real.

But depending on where you are, you can sometimes find those what I call "Bargain BAsement" compilations which are usually something like a 3 CD pack with vasious ALW music. there can be some suprises in there when it comes to Phantom tracks with some obscure former cast members, and usually the CD packs are so cheap it doesnt matter that the singers suck, lol. (I found some tracks of the once totally miscast James Graeme who was the Phantom standby in the mid 90's)

justin-from-barbados wrote:For me, the only Studio one worth it's salt is the one with Ethan Freeman and Clarie Moore, It also has many other former cast members: Carlotta from the UK tour, Managers from London. Meg who was a Christine Alternate. Giry is the only one who I dont think ever played the role.

That would be Gay Soper, and she did indeed never play the part on stage. I like the little we hear of her in the role, though, and I've seen her in other musicals where she was very good. I think I would have liked to see her do the role.

As most of you probably know, the CD was first recorded with Graham Bickley as (a totally miscast) Phantom. This was in 1993. He was replaced within a year or so by Ethan Freeman. I don't blame them. Bickley has a fine voice, but is not Phantom material at all. I do like the PONR, however. But Claire Moore is the real star of that CD, she is gorgeous.

Its also interesting to note that different songs have different orchestras backing them, and if you have a good sound system and crank it up loud, some of the songs sound so rich and wonderful.

I have just listened to the Swedish Cast for the first time ever this evening, even thou I have been a Phantom fan for the past 11 years (since I was only 14) and have been to see Phantom in the West End twice and only last month saw it in Vegas. This is my first time EVER listening to a foreign language cast recording.
Well I must say I was blown away by this cast recording. I absolutely adored it, I have totally fallen in love with Mikeal Samuelson's phantom!! He was moving, tender, passionate, the last scene broke my heart needless to say I was crying like a baby by the end of the cd!! Elisabeth Berg great as Christine she has a beautiful voice, very pure and powerful. I loved her Om du bara vore har igen (wishing) it brought tears to my eyes!!

My number one favourite cast recording will always be the original with Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman, Steve Barton they are just my perfect little love triangle! I remember soon after I heard Phantom for the first time my Dad told me that Michael Crawford had played Frank Spencer in the English sitcom Some Mothers Do Have Them, and I wouldnt believe my Dad for months that the same man could sing like with such passion and make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up everything time I heard him sing MOTN. I love Sarah Brightman's pure soaring bell like voice and could easily see why a man would fall for her voice. I totally wanted to be her when I was a young teenager!!! And beautiful Steve Barton my only image of what Raoul should be, beautiful voice, beautiful man. Like some one said before when I first listened to the original I closed my eyes and it was like I was reading a book or watching a movie I could see it so clearly.

But this Swedish version is coming in a close second even before the Canadian cast recording which I love dearly. I know not alot of people dont get Colm Wilkson's Phantom but it has grown on me and now he is one of my favourites plus he is Irish so I will always have a soft spot for him!!

In fact I loved the Swedish version so much I think I have to go hear it again!!!

LisaL wrote:In fact I loved the Swedish version so much I think I have to go hear it again!!!

LisaL wrote:Elisabeth Berg great as Christine she has a beautiful voice, very pure and powerful. I loved her Om du bara vore har igen (wishing) it brought tears to my eyes!!

As much as I love the song, it's rare that it makes me teary. I can think of two times live...once when Michael Crawford sang it in concert (partly because I was with a friend who'd lost his father in a car accident about five years earlier and I could see how he was relating to the song). And once when I saw Kris Koop go on as Christine in 2005.

Recordings of the song are even less likely to make me cry...except Elisabeth Berg.

Paula74 wrote:

As much as I love the song, it's rare that it makes me teary. I can think of two times live...once when Michael Crawford sang it in concert (partly because I was with a friend who'd lost his father in a car accident about five years earlier and I could see how he was relating to the song). And once when I saw Kris Koop go on as Christine in 2005.

Recordings of the song are even less likely to make me cry...except Elisabeth Berg.

I have loved Phantom for the past 11 years but only in the past three half years has that song had special meaning to me since my brother died. Since then I love the song even more and the words really mean more but I haven't cried to the song in a long time (I had tears in my eyes in Vegas) but when I heard Elisabeth Berg sing it my tears started to flow, her voice, the emotion........ she is fast becoming one of my faourite Christine's.

I know I've said this before about Elisabeth Berg, but it must be said again: her diction is absolutely flawless. She has such a good pronunciation of words. This might not matter if you don't understand Swedish, but combine that with an excellent singing technique, and we have a singer who definitely masters her instrument. I remember hearing the Swedish cast album for the first time back in 2000 or thereabout. From the first lines in TOM I was in awe, and by the end of disc 2 I was in tears.

It took me a lot longer to get used to Mikael Samuelson. Probably because I hadn't heard so many Phantoms back then, and he was different from all others. Very different. And growling. Dragging the notes out. I think in fact I disliked him. But at the same time he fascinated me. And the dislike did turn into love. Major love. Now I rate him as one of my top 5 Phantoms, of all those I've seen and heard. I luuuuv him, and is so jealous of Josefine who saw him multiple times back in the Stockholm days...

operafantomet wrote:

It took me a lot longer to get used to Mikael Samuelson. Probably because I hadn't heard so many Phantoms back then, and he was different from all others. Very different. And growling. Dragging the notes out. I think in fact I disliked him. But at the same time he fascinated me. And the dislike did turn into love. Major love. Now I rate him as one of my top 5 Phantoms, of all those I've seen and heard. I luuuuv him, and is so jealous of Josefine who saw him multiple times back in the Stockholm days...

Mikael Samuelson could be harder to get used to, but I loved how he could sound like an ghost like or angel like and quickly change into a Phantom growling his words and the passion in his voice.......in your case operafantomet fear really can turn to love

operafantomet wrote:

It took me a lot longer to get used to Mikael Samuelson. Probably because I hadn't heard so many Phantoms back then, and he was different from all others. Very different. And growling. Dragging the notes out. I think in fact I disliked him. But at the same time he fascinated me. And the dislike did turn into love. Major love. Now I rate him as one of my top 5 Phantoms, of all those I've seen and heard. I luuuuv him, and is so jealous of Josefine who saw him multiple times back in the Stockholm days...

The good old days... I would like to be able to see him again, sigh...

http://www.tradera.com/THE-PHANTOM-OF-THE-OPERA-dubbel-cd--auktion_210108_128320350
http://www.tradera.com/The-Phantom-of-the-Opera-auktion_210825_128173584

The Swedish cast album for sale for basically nothing. Current price one the first auction is SEK 10, which is about $1,50 or €1!! Shipping is twice as much. The price might go up, as there's one day left of the auction, but it's still a bargain. The second is an LP, has has a week left, and the starting price is 99 cents. I have no idea if Swedish Tradera (which is a part of eBay) function as eBay in general. But it might be worth the hassle to become a member (bli medlem) if you're looking for this CD. Alas the seller only ship within the Nordic countries, but I'd be happy to receive it and forward it to any of you.


http://www.tradera.com/Phantom-of-the-Opera-Finskt-oversattning-auktion_130118_128386605
There's also a Finnish version of the 2044 movie there. It's not dubbed, but has a Finnish cover and Finnish subtitles. Oopperan kummitus!

That reminds me, I need the Swedish cast recording! That's one I'm lacking.

Has anyone heard of or know if there are any of this CD floating around:
It's the 2000 Flemish promo Cd with only a few songs on it.

Devon wrote:Has anyone heard of or know if there are any of this CD floating around:
It's the 2000 Flemish promo Cd with only a few songs on it.

Yup, it's not an urban myth, although it's extremely rare. It was printed in a very limited edition, and was given to the first... 100? 1000? people buying a ticket to the Belgian production. For some odd reason it features Christine alternate Ineke van Klinken, and not principal Susanne Duwe. It's not a bad choice, as I think the alternate is better, but it's still a bit odd. I guess Duwe did all the other promo stuff, so they wanted to make it fair. Or maybe they planned a Belgian CD which never happened? The production had a shorter run that they expected.

The CD single contains "Music of the Night" and WYWSHA only. More about it here:
http://castalbums.org/recordings/The-Phantom-Of-The-Opera-2000-Flemish-Promo/5390

operafantomet wrote:

Devon wrote:Has anyone heard of or know if there are any of this CD floating around:
It's the 2000 Flemish promo Cd with only a few songs on it.

Yup, it's not an urban myth, although it's extremely rare. It was printed in a very limited edition, and was given to the first... 100? 1000? people buying a ticket to the Belgian production. For some odd reason it features Christine alternate Ineke van Klinken, and not principal Susanne Duwe. It's not a bad choice, as I think the alternate is better, but it's still a bit odd. I guess Duwe did all the other promo stuff, so they wanted to make it fair. Or maybe they planned a Belgian CD which never happened? The production had a shorter run that they expected.

The CD single contains "Music of the Night" and WYWSHA only. More about it here:
http://castalbums.org/recordings/The-Phantom-Of-The-Opera-2000-Flemish-Promo/5390

Yeah actually that website link you posted is where I first found it! I figured it was pretty rare though I would love to hear the songs sometime. Being the fact it's a promo usually means it's a hard to find and if you DO find it, it will probably cost a pretty penny!
Although I got lucky on the promo Basel CD, found it on Ebay and it was signed by Florian Schneider, Ute Baum, and Bjorn Olssen!! I also got it for under thirty (US) dollars (including shipping costs). So I can't complain!
Do you have the Flemish recording? Perhaps there's a way to download the two tracks online somewhere.

So who has the RAH brochure? On the cast recordings page, there is a strange picture of the cover of a cast recording with a white album cover ostensibly from Sydney, even though no such record (to my knowledge) exists. But it's not listed on the side in the text section. Was this perhaps just a limited edition of the OLC? Or was it something that was planned and then aborted? Anyone know?

Scorp wrote:So who has the RAH brochure? On the cast recordings page, there is a strange picture of the cover of a cast recording with a white album cover ostensibly from Sydney, even though no such record (to my knowledge) exists. But it's not listed on the side in the text section. Was this perhaps just a limited edition of the OLC? Or was it something that was planned and then aborted? Anyone know?

I think it's how the OLC was released in Australia. I read something about that ages ago. But I'm too lazy to check up on it.

operafantomet wrote:

Scorp wrote:So who has the RAH brochure? On the cast recordings page, there is a strange picture of the cover of a cast recording with a white album cover ostensibly from Sydney, even though no such record (to my knowledge) exists. But it's not listed on the side in the text section. Was this perhaps just a limited edition of the OLC? Or was it something that was planned and then aborted? Anyone know?

I think it's how the OLC was released in Australia. I read something about that ages ago. But I'm too lazy to check up on it.

Yeah. I have it, actually. I thought it was a special edition or something that was only available at the theatre? Anyway. It's kinda weird looking. Nothing else is different about it except that cover.

D'you reckon the new tour will generate a new cast recording like Miz did? Perhaps not, if we've just got one for the RAH concert...

Scorp wrote:D'you reckon the new tour will generate a new cast recording like Miz did? Perhaps not, if we've just got one for the RAH concert...

I thought the OLC had some sort of deal in place that said there could not be any new (English speaking) cast recordings while they were alive...? I don't know why ALW would have allowed such a deal to be in place, though, unless he made it so because his wife was the lead...*shrugs*

Of course I may have that a bit wrong. It could have been only after so many years or something like that.

But, yeah. At least we have a new live version from RAH...

PhantomsGhost wrote:

Scorp wrote:D'you reckon the new tour will generate a new cast recording like Miz did? Perhaps not, if we've just got one for the RAH concert...

I thought the OLC had some sort of deal in place that said there could not be any new (English speaking) cast recordings while they were alive...? I don't know why ALW would have allowed such a deal to be in place, though, unless he made it so because his wife was the lead...*shrugs*

Of course I may have that a bit wrong. It could have been only after so many years or something like that.

But, yeah. At least we have a new live version from RAH...

I'm going to have my fingers crossed for a new version for the tour, especially is JOJ is in it. I have a suspicion that I am going to find the RAH recording rather dull.

I'm probably in the minority, but I really, really enjoyed Ramin/Sierra/Hadley as the leads, and will be very happy with this new recording..


(although JOJ would be awesome, too. I've never had the chance to see him live, but he's won me over with his sense of humor with his tweets, and his self-titled album that I bought about three weeks ago)

If the OLC had such a deal in place, it was broken within 3 years, with the OCC. But it is strange there are fewer English-language recordings of Phantom than Les Mis.

Remembering back to my early days as a fan, the original deal was that no additional FULL LENGTH recordings would be done in English. OCC does not violate that policy as it's a highlights album.

phantomfett wrote:Remembering back to my early days as a fan, the original deal was that no additional FULL LENGTH recordings would be done in English. OCC does not violate that policy as it's a highlights album.

What he said.

Granted, the OCC is a pretty extensive highlights album, I think the most comprehensive of all Phantom highlights albums, but it's still not the same as a full length double-album.

So wait, is the RAH album going to be only a Highlights album? I checked the price for it on the official Phantom 25th website and it's only 9.99 GBP; which seems awfully cheap if we're talking about a full length double-disc album...

~Madame~

Does anyone know where to find the Madrid cast recording? I can only find Mexico. Also, is it Luis Armando or JCB, as I would much prefer a JCB one, as I love his phantom, but I do NOT just want the Spanish dub of the movie that shall NOT be named. I wish they made a new recording at the millennium, because then we would have either Scott Davies or the Peter Karrie tour, and I would be just fine with either of those! Also, are there anyt Argentinean promos or anything? An album would be awsome, but I am sure there isn't one
OG

thephanfullerton wrote:Does anyone know where to find the Madrid cast recording? I can only find Mexico. Also, is it Luis Armando or JCB, as I would much prefer a JCB one, as I love his phantom, but I do NOT just want the Spanish dub of the movie that shall NOT be named. I wish they made a new recording at the millennium, because then we would have either Scott Davies or the Peter Karrie tour, and I would be just fine with either of those! Also, are there anyt Argentinean promos or anything? An album would be awsome, but I am sure there isn't one
OG

There isn't an official Madrid recording. I don't know about the Argentinean promos tough.

TheFinnishPhantom wrote:

thephanfullerton wrote:Does anyone know where to find the Madrid cast recording? I can only find Mexico. Also, is it Luis Armando or JCB, as I would much prefer a JCB one, as I love his phantom, but I do NOT just want the Spanish dub of the movie that shall NOT be named. I wish they made a new recording at the millennium, because then we would have either Scott Davies or the Peter Karrie tour, and I would be just fine with either of those! Also, are there anyt Argentinean promos or anything? An album would be awsome, but I am sure there isn't one
OG

There isn't an official Madrid recording. I don't know about the Argentinean promos tough.

Are you sure? I definately remember seeing JCB, not in the movie though...
OG

thephanfullerton wrote:

TheFinnishPhantom wrote:

thephanfullerton wrote:Does anyone know where to find the Madrid cast recording? I can only find Mexico. Also, is it Luis Armando or JCB, as I would much prefer a JCB one, as I love his phantom, but I do NOT just want the Spanish dub of the movie that shall NOT be named. I wish they made a new recording at the millennium, because then we would have either Scott Davies or the Peter Karrie tour, and I would be just fine with either of those! Also, are there anyt Argentinean promos or anything? An album would be awsome, but I am sure there isn't one
OG

There isn't an official Madrid recording. I don't know about the Argentinean promos tough.

Are you sure? I definately remember seeing JCB, not in the movie though...
OG

There isn't an official Madrid recording.

I re-discovered the Hamburg recording lately. It's much better than I remembered, but still the track selection is strange. Hannibal and Il Muto ballet, but no AIAOY reprise? No Angel of Music? No Entr'acte?