Best selling musical theatre album The Phantom of the Opera is getting a lavish 40th-anniversary makeover this autumn, with Andrew Lloyd Webber returning to the original analogue master tapes to create the most complete presentation yet of the celebrated 1986 cast recording.
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios in September and October 1986, it captured Michael Crawford as the Phantom, Sarah Brightman as Christine and Steve Barton as Raoul, with Mike Reed conducting.
The album went on to sell more than 40 million copies worldwide and became the first musical cast recording to debut at number one in the UK charts.
Now, four decades later, Lloyd Webber has revisited those original tapes for The Phantom of the Opera (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix).
Of the eleven original two-inch reels recorded at Abbey Road, eight survived intact. They have been remixed without enhancement, thereby preserving the vocal and orchestral performances as they were originally recorded.
Material from the three missing reels has been carefully restored using an unplayed vinyl pressing of the original album.
The result also restores sections of the score that were removed from the original release because of running-time restrictions. This new edition gives those passages room to breathe, alongside familiar favourites including ‘The Music Of The Night’, ‘Think Of Me’, ‘All I Ask Of You’ and the title song.
Of the eleven original two-inch reels recorded at Abbey Road, eight survived intact…
Andrew Lloyd Webber personal Phantom archive released
The real treasure for fans of the musical’s history comes from Lloyd Webber’s personal archive. Three previously unheard recordings will be included in the release. There’s a cassette demo of The Phantom Of The Opera from its earliest incarnation as a proposed stand-alone single.
‘Box Five’ presents the first draft of the Opera Managers’ ‘Notes’ scene, which was subsequently reworked into ‘Prima Donna’ after Hal Prince rejected the original. There’s also an early demo of ‘Masquerade’ featuring Richard Stilgoe’s original lyrics, recorded before the song was rewritten for the stage production.
On hearing the original performances again, Lloyd Webber says: “One of the most poignant moments was hearing the late Steve Barton as Raoul. As the memories of the making of this album flooded back, I was struck by how brilliant and precise Hal Prince’s casting was.”
The composer goes on to single out Crawford’s performance as “a masterclass in musical theatre acting through song” and recalls Brightman’s “trueness and clarity combined with vulnerability”. He also praises Mike Reed’s interpretation and describes the orchestral playing as “sensational”.
Before Lloyd Webber’s Phantom
The origins of Lloyd Webber’s Phantom lie in a much earlier Gothic novel by French journalist and writer Gaston Leroux. The two works share a central story and setting, but differ significantly in tone.
Leroux’s Le Fantôme de l’Opéra, was first published as a serial, before being released in book form in 1911. It’s a Gothic horror mystery set in the Paris Opera House.
The Phantom of the Opera anniversary edition versions
The anniversary release of the musical will arrive in stages. The title song, recorded by Brightman and Crawford, is released digitally at midnight on September 18. The complete digital album follows on October 9, the 40th anniversary of the original production, which will be marked with a gala celebration at His Majesty’s Theatre in London, where The Phantom of the Opera opened in 1986.
Physical editions follow on November 6, with the 2026 Mix available as a three LP vinyl set and a two CD edition.
On November 20 comes A Collector’s Piece Indeed, a limited-edition six-LP box set aimed squarely at the Phantom faithful.
This box comprises the three LP 2026 Mix, plus the two LP Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on champagne vinyl and Masquerade: The Orchestral Score on one glass-clear LP.
The latter has previously been available only in-venue at Masquerade in New York, the immersive reimagining of The Phantom of the Opera.
There are some fascinating archival extras, too. The box includes a hand-numbered Robert Heindel art print, limited to one of 2,026, replica annotated early-edition scripts and sheet music from Lloyd Webber’s archive, plus a fold-out replica poster from the original Broadway production featuring cast signatures.
It’s a substantial package for a musical that has long since escaped the boundaries of the West End. Since Cameron Mackintosh’s original production opened in 1986, The Phantom of the Opera has been seen by 160 million people across 217 cities, 52 territories and 23 languages.
As for prices, The Phantom of the Opera (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) three LP set is priced at £69.99 ($89.99). The two CD set sells for £14.99 ($19.00).
For those the want to full enchilada, the The Phantom of the Opera – A Collector’s Piece Indeed six LP collection is yours for £229.99 ($299.99).
Forty years on, the original recording is finally getting the archival treatment its history deserves.
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Best selling musical theatre album The Phantom of the Opera is getting a lavish 40th-anniversary makeover this autumn, with Andrew Lloyd Webber returning to the original analogue master tapes to create the most complete presentation yet of the celebrated 1986 cast recording.
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios in September and October 1986, it captured Michael Crawford as the Phantom, Sarah Brightman as Christine and Steve Barton as Raoul, with Mike Reed conducting.
The album went on to sell more than 40 million copies worldwide and became the first musical cast recording to debut at number one in the UK charts.
Now, four decades later, Lloyd Webber has revisited those original tapes for The Phantom of the Opera (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix).
Of the eleven original two-inch reels recorded at Abbey Road, eight survived intact. They have been remixed without enhancement, thereby preserving the vocal and orchestral performances as they were originally recorded.
Material from the three missing reels has been carefully restored using an unplayed vinyl pressing of the original album.
The result also restores sections of the score that were removed from the original release because of running-time restrictions. This new edition gives those passages room to breathe, alongside familiar favourites including ‘The Music Of The Night’, ‘Think Of Me’, ‘All I Ask Of You’ and the title song.
Andrew Lloyd Webber personal Phantom archive released
The real treasure for fans of the musical’s history comes from Lloyd Webber’s personal archive. Three previously unheard recordings will be included in the release. There’s a cassette demo of The Phantom Of The Opera from its earliest incarnation as a proposed stand-alone single.
‘Box Five’ presents the first draft of the Opera Managers’ ‘Notes’ scene, which was subsequently reworked into ‘Prima Donna’ after Hal Prince rejected the original. There’s also an early demo of ‘Masquerade’ featuring Richard Stilgoe’s original lyrics, recorded before the song was rewritten for the stage production.
On hearing the original performances again, Lloyd Webber says: “One of the most poignant moments was hearing the late Steve Barton as Raoul. As the memories of the making of this album flooded back, I was struck by how brilliant and precise Hal Prince’s casting was.”
The composer goes on to single out Crawford’s performance as “a masterclass in musical theatre acting through song” and recalls Brightman’s “trueness and clarity combined with vulnerability”. He also praises Mike Reed’s interpretation and describes the orchestral playing as “sensational”.
Before Lloyd Webber’s Phantom
The origins of Lloyd Webber’s Phantom lie in a much earlier Gothic novel by French journalist and writer Gaston Leroux. The two works share a central story and setting, but differ significantly in tone.
Leroux’s Le Fantôme de l’Opéra, was first published as a serial, before being released in book form in 1911. It’s a Gothic horror mystery set in the Paris Opera House.
The book follows Christine Daaé, a young soprano guided by a mysterious ‘Angel of Music,’ who is revealed to be Erik, the Phantom, a disfigured musical genius living in the hidden passages of the opera. It’s available in a collector’s edition hardback here, priced at £29.99.
The Phantom of the Opera anniversary edition versions
The anniversary release of the musical will arrive in stages. The title song, recorded by Brightman and Crawford, is released digitally at midnight on September 18. The complete digital album follows on October 9, the 40th anniversary of the original production, which will be marked with a gala celebration at His Majesty’s Theatre in London, where The Phantom of the Opera opened in 1986.
Physical editions follow on November 6, with the 2026 Mix available as a three LP vinyl set and a two CD edition.
On November 20 comes A Collector’s Piece Indeed, a limited-edition six-LP box set aimed squarely at the Phantom faithful.
This box comprises the three LP 2026 Mix, plus the two LP Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on champagne vinyl and Masquerade: The Orchestral Score on one glass-clear LP.
The latter has previously been available only in-venue at Masquerade in New York, the immersive reimagining of The Phantom of the Opera.
There are some fascinating archival extras, too. The box includes a hand-numbered Robert Heindel art print, limited to one of 2,026, replica annotated early-edition scripts and sheet music from Lloyd Webber’s archive, plus a fold-out replica poster from the original Broadway production featuring cast signatures.
It’s a substantial package for a musical that has long since escaped the boundaries of the West End. Since Cameron Mackintosh’s original production opened in 1986, The Phantom of the Opera has been seen by 160 million people across 217 cities, 52 territories and 23 languages.
As for prices, The Phantom of the Opera (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) three LP set is priced at £69.99 ($89.99). The two CD set sells for £14.99 ($19.00).
For those the want to full enchilada, the The Phantom of the Opera – A Collector’s Piece Indeed six LP collection is yours for £229.99 ($299.99).
Forty years on, the original recording is finally getting the archival treatment its history deserves.
British Museum brings 2,000 years of Korean art to London with Samsung-backed Korea exhibition
The British Museum is bringing two thousand years of Korean art to London in a major exhibition supported by Samsung Electronics, and drawn from the celebrated Lee Kun-Hee Collection. The consumer electronics giant, along with the British Museum, hosted a gala yesterday to mark the opening of Korea, a major presentation of works from the…
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