Lloyd Webber without the singing
Andrew | UK | 04/30/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have never been a big fan of Lloyd Webber's shows, finding that sometimes the syrupy vocalists get in the way of the music; so this album is right up my street. Here we have just the music, played by a standard symphony orchestra, in this case superbly well by the in-form LSO, without the distraction of soloists attempting to hit the notes. The arrangement of Phantom Fantasia is brilliant, as are most of the others, and I read somewhere that this track was nominated for a Grammy. I don't know whether it won, but it would not surprise me.What amazes me is that I have never heard of a public performance of this work and I don't know why. In this day and age when every form of public entertainment is searching for new ways of pulling in audiences, I would have thought this is one sure-fire winner. Meanwhile, until then I have my prized copy to listen to whenever I want!"