Perhaps I'm simply not well-established enough in the field of music to give a good critique. I never studied it extensively and the last time I took a music class...well, let's just say I don't particularly recall my last music class. I've only fairly recently come into an avid interest in music itself. Does that make my opinion any less valid? There are those posting here who would say yes, likening me to some silly, twittering fangirl whose only aspirations are to drool over attractive men. Why? Because I happen to prefer the movie soundtrack over the OLC.
Let's see if we can disprove those unfair expectations, shall we?
I prefer Emmy Rossum's performance to the excessive vibratto of Sarah Brightman's performance in the "Phantomm of the Opera" OLC soundtrack. Christine Daae is supposed to possess a pure voice, something with drew the Phantom to her in the first place. Maybe it's just me, but I actually like to hear the lyrics when they're being sung. It brings a little something to the story when you actually know what's going on, feel what's going on, forget the singer and enter into the character, rather than only noticing the training that went into the artist herself.
With Ms. Brightman, all I see is a beautiful, well-trained, operatic voice. But with Ms. Rossum, I see Christine.
The problems? Yes, Rossum has a distinct weakness in her voice. I heartilly agree here. The first time I heard her sing in "Think of Me," I kept recalling a friend of mine who had to give up her aspirations of singing because she simply couldn't project. it was a shame, too, since she had a lovely voice. The same goes for Ms. Rossum. Someone needs to teach this girl to project, or else slap the mixers upside the head and point out to the that if they're doing a musical production, make sure it works right.
Patrick Wilson is by far the best Raoul I have ever heard. I've heard people say they can't understand why Christine left with Raoul in various stage adaptions and in the novel itself. But with Wilson playing the role, from the first moment I heard Wilson sing the words "but I remember her," it suddenly struck me how I could understand why she chose him in the end. I spent the entire movie flipping back and forth because of this. For the first time, I understood why Christine had such a hard time making a decision.
No one can be better than Michael Crawford in the role of the Phantom. No one. It's a guaranteed fact. He is a singularly gifted singer. His voice still makes me misty-eyed when I hear him. I agree that he should have been given the part instead of Gerard Butler for his talent alone, but there is something seductive about Butler's performance. What people seem to forget is that the emotion is more important than the training. Anger, seduction, pain, I could feel these things when Gerard Butler sang. He had his faults, yes, quite a few of them, but he makes up for it with his emotion.
Still, Crawford is the best.
Criticisms aside, the special edition movie soundtrack is nowhere near the abysmal travesty that some reviewers would have you believe. The singing and music flow together without ringing false the way some theatrical performances, leaving the listener to simply hear the story and have it spread out before them without the fripperies that detract from the characters. Don't be expecting the OLC, but instead think of it with a fresh mind.
