As much a brand name as a composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber never does anything In a small way. 1988's The Phantom of The Opera, perhaps the finest effort of Lord Webber's career, began life with a particularly human heart beating at its center: Michael Crawford's Phantom. The very last word in swoony romanticism, honey-tenored Crawford stormed Broadway and jumped-started a late-career revival that has yet to slow down.
This double-disc, original cast recording also features costar Sarah Brightman (the former Mrs. Lloyd Webber), who uses her powerful voice to stunning advantage on "All I Ask of You" and "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again." Crawford's gorgeous, hushed vocal dazzles in the memorable showpiece, "The Music of the Night," as spectacular and definitive a Broadway moment as any in the last half-century. - David Elliot Cohen, Barnes & Noble
Disc One
01. Prologue
02. Overture
03. Think Of Me
04. Angel Of Music
05. Little Lotte.../The Mirror (Angel Of Music)
06. The Phantom Of The Opera
07. The Music Of The Night
08. I Remember.../Stranger Than You Dreamt It
09. Magical Lasso
10. Notes.../Prima Donna
11. Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh
12. Why Have You Brought Me Here/Raoul, I've Been There
13. All I Ask Of You
14. All I Ask Of You (Reprise)
Disc Two
01. Entr/Acte
02. Masquerade/Why So Silent
03. Notes.../Twisted In Every Way...
04. Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again
05. Wandering Child.../Bravo, Monsieur
06. The Point Of No Return
07. Down Once More.../Track Down This Murderer