First of all I would like to say that I "The Phantom of the Opera" musical and also part of the original staging of Harold Prince as my absolute favorites denote Musical Andrew Lloyd Webber's. My criticism is not directed at the music ansich, but rather on their implementation on said recording the London performance.
A positive element in this recording certainly the overall picture of the cast of characters. Clearly you can feel that the part of Christine Daaé is musically tailored to the pitch and timbre, of Sarah Brightman, Lloyd Webber's former wife. Even Steve Barton in the role of the Vicomte de Chagny can vocally his aristocratic lineage and his affection for Christine credible to transport. Of the supporting roles are particularly John Savident and David Firth emphasized as dry-comic directors of the Paris Opera House and Mary Millar as mystic Mme. Giry.
Zwiegespalten I am still on the vocal performance of Michael Crawford as Phantom. And that is for two reasons: he certainly has a very expressive and versatile voice, with which he can represent the various nuances of the emotional world of the Phantoms well. Only he remains in the specific case of this album too much behind its possibilities. For other sound and film documents on which he has been immortalized in the role of the Phantom, it is apparent that his vocal work as it is being held on this album (still) does not match the potential, to which he himself is capable of. And I regret every time I listen to this recording! - It must also be noted that despite all the merits that Mr. Crawford has unequivocally on the co-development of the role of the Phantom, and there were other actors who have also done great in this role. Unforgettable for me are Ethan Freeman, Scott Davies and Hans Peter Janssens as Phantom.
Another weak point of the Original London Cast Album's presents for me is the aural appearance of the orchestra. Since there is, considering the size of the orchestra, far too much (artificial) Hall and to inaccurate mixing of the individual instrument groups. This means that the intricacies of instrumental arrangements not really come to not just a few points to bear because they are barely perceptible. As an example of that which is better, I would like at this point the album to the Dutch production of "Phantom" of 1993 mention (Phantom: Henk Poort). Here the orchestra is somewhat smaller, withdrawn the Hall and revised during mixdown. The result is a much more nuanced sound!
To conclude, that this album is a document of occupation of the world premiere in London and the development of musicals over the decades worth listening to for sure. In addition to this I recommend, however, also in other recordings of "The Phantom of the Opera" in listening!
