Review by sledge19 April 15, 2007 (3 of 3 found this review helpful)
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Thanks to “Phantom of the Opera” - The Movie – we get to enjoy this soundtrack which also got released on SACD. At first I was a little bit skeptical about it and began to compare it to the well-known original cast recording from 1987 (with Sarah Brightman and Steve Barton), but very shortly stopped playing the “original” and stayed with the new SACD. Of course, the voices are different but nevertheless excellent.
The sound quality is just outstanding (Abbey Road Studios)! Easily noticable from the first track on and strikingly noticable when the (just few) short snippets from the original movie dialog are used: Movie recordings are not bad (Dolby Digital standard), but SACD is far superior. The multi-channels mix offers a full and clever usage of all 5 speakers, so much more than just ambiance for the rear speakers. The main voices are on the center speaker.
My absolute favorite (to my surprise) is “Masquerade”. Single voices, choir and full orchestra with a punch– what more can you ask for? This track is also an example for the great sound quality. Playing and listening to many good recordings and hardware, I have learned that only good recordings teamed up with good playback equipment can re-create a choir which consits of many individual voices. “Standard” equipment blends it to one single mass. Here, of course, the great resolution lets you hear the single individuals of the choir, creating an almost live-like experience on all five channels.
Negative points? If any, the title selection is limited, but the essential tracks are coverd.
The song from “Learn to be loney” sung by Minnie Driver is not bad, but does not really seem to fit in with the rest.
A must have for the musical lover! This SACD makes you wish for more musical recordings on SACD…wouldn’t it be great to have Les Miserables or the Disney musicals on SACD? Also a shame that SONY does not release more on SACD.
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