Andrew Lloyd Webber - The Phantom of the Opera (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) (2026) [Hi-Res]

To mark the 40th anniversary of The Phantom of the Opera, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber returned to the original analogue master tapes of the 1986 London cast recording and remixed the score for the first time ever. The release, The Phantom of the Opera (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix), is billed as the most complete presentation of the score to date. It restores sections cut from the original album because of running-time limits and adds rare material from the composer's personal archive.

The original recording was made at Abbey Road Studios in September and October 1986, featuring Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman and Steve Barton, conducted by Mike Reed. It has sold over 40 million copies and was the first musical cast recording to debut at number one in the UK charts. Of the eleven original two-inch tape reels, eight survived and were remixed without enhancement, so the vocals and orchestra sound exactly as captured 40 years ago. Material from the three lost reels was restored from an unplayed vinyl pressing of the 1986 album.

Lloyd Webber says he was especially moved by the late Steve Barton's Raoul. He recalls how precisely director Hal Prince cast the show, calls Crawford's performance a masterclass in acting through song, and compares Brightman's voice to fine porcelain (a phrase from critic Jack Tinker). He describes the orchestral playing as sensational.

The album includes "The Music Of The Night", "Think Of Me", "All I Ask Of You" and the title song, plus three bonus recordings from the composer's archive:

a cassette demo of the title song from when it was conceived as a stand-alone single;
"Box Five", the first draft of the Opera Managers' "Notes" scene, rejected by Hal Prince and later reworked into "Prima Donna";
an early demo of "Masquerade" with Richard Stilgoe's original lyrics, recorded before the rewrite heard in the show today.

Release schedule:

18 September (already out): the remixed and remastered title song, performed by Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford, on all streaming platforms;
9 October: the digital album, on the show's 40th anniversary, with a gala at His Majesty's Theatre, London;
6 November: 3LP and 2CD editions, the 3LP restoring the previously cut material;
20 November: the limited-edition 6LP box set A Collector's Piece Indeed.

The box set contains:

the 2026 mix;
the 2LP The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on champagne vinyl;
the 1LP Masquerade: The Orchestral Score on glass-clear vinyl, previously available only in-venue at the immersive New York production Masquerade;
a hand-numbered Robert Heindel art print (one of 2,026);
replica annotated early scripts and sheet music from the composer's archive;
a fold-out replica poster of the original Broadway production with cast signatures.

Tracklist:
01-01 Andrew Lloyd Webber - Prologue (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [1:55]
01-02 The Phantom Of The Opera Original London Cast - Overture (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [2:08]
01-03 Andrew Lloyd Webber - Hannibal Rehearsal (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [5:51]
01-04 Andrew Lloyd Webber - Think Of Me (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [3:11]
01-05 The Phantom Of The Opera Original London Cast - Angel Of Music (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [2:20]
01-06 Sarah Brightman - Little Lotte / The Mirror (Angel Of Music) (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [2:51]
01-07 Andrew Lloyd Webber - The Phantom of the Opera (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [4:16]
01-08 Andrew Lloyd Webber - I Have Brought You (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [0:47]
01-09 Andrew Lloyd Webber - The Music Of The Night (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [5:11]
01-10 Andrew Lloyd Webber - I Remember / Stranger Than You Dreamt It (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [3:51]
01-11 János Kurucz - Magical Lasso (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [0:59]
01-12 Janet Devenish - Notes (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [6:29]
01-13 Janet Devenish - Prima Donna (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [3:43]
01-14 Rosemary Ashe - Il Muto (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [3:34]
01-15 Steve Barton - Why Have You Brought Me Here (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [3:28]
01-16 The Phantom Of The Opera Original London Cast - All I Ask Of You (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [4:15]
01-17 Sarah Brightman - All I Ask Of You - Reprise (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [3:21]
01-18 John Savident - Entr'acte / Six Months Later (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [3:02]
01-19 Sarah Brightman - Masquerade / Why So Silent (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [6:40]
01-20 Mary Millar - Notes / Twisted Every Way (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [9:45]
01-21 Andrew Lloyd Webber - Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [3:30]
01-22 The Phantom Of The Opera Original London Cast - Wandering Child / Bravo Monsieur (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [2:46]
01-23 Andrew Lloyd Webber - Don Juan Triumphant (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [3:36]
01-24 Andrew Lloyd Webber - The Point Of No Return (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [5:33]
01-25 Sarah Brightman - Down Once More / Track Down This Murderer (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [1:31]
01-26 Sarah Brightman, Andrew Lloyd Webber, The Phantom Of The Opera Original London Cast, Steve Barton, Michael Crawford - Have You Gorged Yourself (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [10:23]
01-27 Andrew Lloyd Webber - Andrew's Phantom Demo (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [3:58]
01-28 Andrew Lloyd Webber - Box Five (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [4:45]
01-29 Andrew Lloyd Webber - Masquerade Original Demo (The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix) [3:30]