1. Ramin - no explanation needed 2. Norm Lewis - I just love the deepness of his voice 3. Micheal Crawford - the og phantom. He’s got such a beautifully unique voice
Personally I know that Gerard Butler didn't sing it best, but the film was what I grew up listening to. Therefore, his interpretation is my absolute favorite! There's a rawness to it that I love, and his chemistry with Emmy is beautiful. I also adore the other phantom's, but childhood nostalgia make the film my go to version to watch on a rainy day...
I totally agree, Gerard is my favourite no 1. The fact that he did it naturally and not as a professional singer, is absolutely a disgrace to him and to me. Michael Crawford is my second choice..
Notice how Ramin is the only one (that I noticed) who doesn't need a gigantic, contrived breath right before the octave leap, instead taking it earlier in the phrase at a place that makes sense of the text. That makes it a longer phrase to sing and he still nails the high note, and then some. This is the winner for me - remarkable.
Epiphoni ....yes, I completely agree, he's marvellous, clearly the best in my opinion, on a side note, i really though Josh Groban was going to have some kind of attack while hitting that high note 😂
Ramin's interpretation is incredible. Gentle, yet powerful, emotional. Such control, such beautiful timbre. It just soars above you after the phrase ends. I will never stop being in love with his version.
And that's why I'll always be biased and he'll always be my favorite (And the same reason I'm scared of watching the movie adaptation because my standards have been set incredibly high for costuming and singing by Sierra Boggess and Ramin Karimloo)
@@marcellasorially9330 I've been told it's not good, and i actually watched a movie review of it. I was sorely disappointed seeing what the costumes looked like because the 2011 25th anniversary had such elaborate costumes. But yeah, I'm not watching it 😕
@@angel_stark_art8348 You are quite right, it will actually ruin the Phantom for you. It's not just that the voices are weak and the performances wooden, they also missed the opportunity to present us with that WOW factor that should have been easy for a film production. The direction of the theatre is so much better than the movie's, which should have been the other way around.
The way that Ramin is able to control his breathing to make it feel like one phrase, and not only does he sustain the note, he goes longer than the orchestra which makes it feel even more important. Furthermore: he has amazing chemistry and is by far my favorite Phantom of all time and I would probably sob if I met him or Sierra, because they are two of my biggest influences.
@@my2randomcents Yes, but I do like how he sustains a straight tone then goes into a vibrato because I think that adds a lot more tension than if he just went straight into vibrato.
I went to see Anastasia when it was on Broadway which was amazing of course. But the next day I was walking down the street with my mom and saw ramin across the street, walking in the other direction with his family. I was so excited like oh how cool! My mom was like “Let’s run over and say hi” and I was very much like “No let’s leave him alone with his family. And we continued about our day. A few hours later while we were walking somewhere else all of a sudden, I realize we were walking RIGHT behind Ramin. I thought to myself, what are the odds that we see him two times in one day, in huge NYC?! I took that as fate and decided to ask him for a photo and tell him how great his performance was. He was SUPER nice and his family seemed considerate of the fact that I interrupted their walk. I’m not sure how often he gets stopped or recognized but he seemed really appreciative of my compliments to him :)
ramin is HANDS DOWN my favourite phantom in every aspect,, he’s not purely traditionally technical when it comes to his singing and he adds his own little special parts that show his style, the way he pours his emotion into his singing is in a whole different level to me and it just gets me all the time,, and i just kinda like his tone a lot more than the other phantoms
I'll offer this: he's my favorite too. But imagine watching Michael Crawford establish the role, and the notes, and the emphasis on certain parts, and all that. The original OG is always the benchmark...but Ramin almost surpasses it in my mind! There are VERY few that compare to Ramin IMO! That said, there's a TON of vocalist/actors that do the Phantom justice. But yeah...Ramin is my current fave, although I gotta say that Gerard Butler did very well!! Giving credit where it's due, no hate. :)
I agree with the three you picked, but I'd flip Norm and Ramin. The reason for this is that both Ramin and John are full fledged tenors and as such the Ab they are hitting is right in their wheelhouse. Norm Lewis though is a full baritone and so this Ab is near or at the top of his range and yet he hits it both here and on "soar" beautifully. As a fellow baritone though, I might be a little biased.
I wish Michael hadn't had those horrible health issues! Who knows....He might have been able to get the role for the movie! I don't know why Andrew doesn't get the archival footage of the original London cast, clean up the video and audio and release that to the public on BluRay.
Right? Gerard Butler wasn't bad, he just isn't as good as people who are actually trained for this. But Webber would 't have chosen him for the film if he didn't think he was the right choice.
@@matthewcooper4248 I just can't bring myself to like him. I'm mad about the fact that Andrew had apparently offered the role to Michael and he had agreed but they just dropped him and choose Gerard instead.
@@roosaheikkinen8468 Totally agree! Michael should have gotten the role in the film. I got to see Michael Crawford perform the role in New York and Los Angeles and he was stunning and heartbreaking as the Phantom!!!
Well I couldn't stand his singing. I understand that he had only three singing lessons before the movie and I'm sure he did his best but he sounded bad imo.
The earlier Crawford interpretation is just so effortless. You don't see him preparing, getting ready to really impress the audience with how long he can hold a high note. It's just natural and passionate and absolutely in line with the story. Hands down the best.
I watched a snuck video of the live full play in the 80's he actually does transition into it that smooth, there's no big distracting big breath before he takes the note, and his acting is great
Y’all are sleeping on Colm, he’s honestly one of the most talented male singers out there. He makes it seem effortless, just as he did in his role in Les Mis. Even at his age now, he’s still able to sing like that
@@bob9lives Agreed, he for me has the best tone throughout the high note - the resonance is just soul-filling. In this compilation I also really liked Ben Forster, John Cudia, and John Owen Jones.
Is everyone in this comment section going to ignore the excellence that is John Owen Jones? 1. Ramin 2. JOJ 3. Michael Crawford *Absolute Last* : Paul Potts
For me John Owen Jones has the best voice on this video by a mile. So gentle yet so powerful and beautifully controlled. The only two phantoms that come close to him for me are Michael Crawford (who I think is the greatest phantom of all time) for the way his voice is so ghostly and soft, and Ramin Karimloo who I think plays the part brilliantly and has a great voice.
I was really impressed by David Cook's "be" the pitch was PERFECT. His actual voice style and other notes weren't my cuppa tea but I was shocked at how lovely that note was.
Honestly in my opinion; no one can top the pure CHEMISTRY that Sierra and Ramin have - plus the absolute power in Ramin's voice, coupled with the perfect oscillation into melodic soft passages. It's honestly as if he was born to play the phantom, and Sierra was born to play Christine.
that husky rawness is why he is absolutely miscast. The phantom's voice is supposed to be refined and angelic. Its supposed to be well trained and hypnotic. Gerard butchers half the notes sounding more like he's yelling sometimes than singing. As someone with musical training I can say it isn't good on a technical level and isn't right for the part. I cringe every time I hear him sing. Gerard isn't at fault for the other disasterous aspects of the film (most noteably aside from the singing his exteme pink eye oh I'm sorry "deformity") and I might argue he isn't even at fault here. the fault lies with the casting. Look I think he looks sexy as hell but the second he opens his mouth it's all down hill.
@@iszyngeow a) the Phantom is a prodigy which means his voice is already naturally very good and b) as you said he grew up IN AN OPERA HOUSE therefore he would have been able to learn by listening to the lessons and singing of others. Hence how he knows how to train Christine. Hes had plenty of time to perfect it.. At the very least he would sound like he can actually sing. Butler is raw and very clearly lacks to range and knowledge of how to sing the role. Ramin and the others are haunting and beautiful. You get lulled into almost a trance just listening. As the Phantom is characterized. A literal angel of music. Gerard's voice is jarring and you can VERY clearly tell when he's struggling to reach the notes. It's not the sort of performance one expects from a character like the Phantom. The difference is especially jarring once you've heard it done properly by someone like karimloo or Crawford
@@madeleine5561 Ima disagree. he took it almost to a Frank Sinatra style. More passion into his words rather than his singing he sounds exactly like what a phantom should sound like rough around the edges. breathy vocals. We all know emotion over rides the voice making emotion more powerful and stronger than singing. I mean my lawd he lives in a rocky basement lol I’d laugh if he had some Raul sounding voice. and this is a movie aspect not a play so movies will be more realistic he fits perfect if you want a play then you’ll get your extremely over opera’d technique Also gotta remember he was casted out he’s not gonna sound like an angel anymore because he’s not
the "Down Once More" part is randomly my favorite part of the whole show lol...just the passion, the pain, the frustration and resignation in the Phantom...and the audience basically knowing "uh oh, we're in for it now..."
yes yes yes I don't understand why people think anyone else is even close. He has most hauntingly beautiful voice of all time, and I almost cringe when I hear any other singer sing this song. He has such a unique voice that all of these other highly trained singers all sound like boring robotic opera singers. It's not their fault. They just aren't unique like Crawford.
Michael Crawford still can command the entire orchestra just by the way he moves. And he said in a very recent interview that he still can reach that high note in this song. But he isn’t sure for how much longer.
Yes!! Have you ever heard him singing Gethsemane from Jesus Christ Superstar?!?! There’s one note he holds in that song, in his Live In Concert video that ALWAYS gives me goosebumps and chills every time I hear it!!! If I can find that video here on RU-vid, I’ll reply..
Here’s one version of his performance of Gethsemane, at 3:40 is the most bone-chilling, goosebump-inducing parts of the song! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DsS53BARos8.html
1. Ramin Karimloo (Something about his voice and the fact that I saw him live will always make him my favorite) 2. Anthony Warlow (Such a great strong voice and so good as the Phantom, wonderfully cast. Also amazing in Jekyll and Hyde singing The Confrontation and This is the Moment) 3. Gerard Butler (My first experience with the phantom and always one of my top faves and his voice is actually pretty good) 4. Caleb Hyles (He has this depth and gruffness and almost a rock edge to his voice and performance that offers this great darkness to the song that is just so Phantom of the Opera for me)
@@lulu-wc9yd It was amazing saw him live in Phantom of the Opera and in the Sequel to Phantom of the Opera called Love Never Dies as the Phantom. Amazing! It was the best moment of my life.
I actually liked David Cook's take on that phrase. So many of the singers treat it like an athletic competition, and he has this lovely, soft run up to that note. Lovely contrast of softness and projection. Andrea Bochelli just makes it sound so easy. LOL!
I remember watching that live and never expecting him to do that song as well as he did! He said he chose to do it that way because his reputation on the show had been to create arrangements for songs that were unusual, so he wanted to sing it straight to show he could pull it off. It was him doing this song that made me a fan and I still follow his career today.
Nobody is commenting on Anthony Warlow, he's an amazing singer/performer and was perfectly cast as the phantom! I saw him in the role of the phantom during the 2007 Australian tour years ago and his portrayal was simply wonderful. Saw him again recently in Sweeney Todd, never fails to impress!
Warlow is an amazing vocalist and actor, definitely good for phantom and Sweeney, but the clip shown in this video doesn’t do him justice, that day was probably his bad day, he truly is just unbelievably amazing in other versions I’ve heard him in.
If you know the character of the phantom there was something mysterious, creepy, and beautiful about him. With that being said I have to go with the OG Michael Crawford. He paved the way for all the others. Thx for putting this together.
Except of course for the taaaaatatatatataaaa...tatatatataaaaaa tatatatataaaaaaa ... which was first first heard 15 years earlier in Pink Floyd's Echoes. Roger Waters later retaliated by writing "...Lloyd Webber's awful stuff runs for years and years and years. An earthquake hits the theater but the operetta lingers. Then the piano lid comes down... and breaks his fucking fingers. It's a miracle." And then there's Ravel, Puccini, Ray Repp, Mendelssohn, Frank Loesser. They were all dead of course. And Roger did not want to waste his time taking a serial plagariser to court. But yeah, hey, well done Andrew!
How this was put together I do not know but what a fantastic job. Everyone has their favourites but giving people the opportunity to listen to all the greats is a feat in itself....thank you.
Wow, I wasn't expecting so much love for Gerard Butler, I thought most people hated his performance. To me, Michael Crawford remains the one and only phantom.
I'm not surprised to see the love for Gerard Butler. He is extremely powerful in his handsomeness and strong, masculine physicality which pushes that great sound out and he is a great actor as well.
⚫ The original Phantom : Michael Crawford 🔵 Best voice for this selection: John Owen Jones 🔴 Sound-engineered but nevertheless pleasant to the ear: Gerard Butler ⚪ Best performance that just plucks at the heartstrings: Ramin
Micheal Crawford hit that note with the pure emotion behind it. Watching others after him, they are, as so many do, trying too hard. There are those that hit the note perfectly. They hold hold it to perfection. But they lack the emotion. Others try to emulate the emotion, but in their desire to recreate it ultimately fall short. When a song has been sung so iconically, everything else will always be compared to it.
I feel like we can all agree that Sierra, Emmy, and Gina learned the character of Christine the best. Christine loved the Phantom, whether you think of it as a teacher/best friend way or a romantic way, she loved him. I feel like the majority of Christines completely lack all chemistry with the Phantom they are working with. Gina, Sierra, and Emmy don't do that. They are hypnotized, completely dazed, they show Christine can have a big part in this song too when it comes to emotion through facial expressions.
JulietteMarie this is so true! Christine did love the Phantom. People can debate what kind of love it was, but the most beautiful and poetic part of this story is that even after EVERYTHING she went through, it was still so hard for her to leave him. He was a part of her.
... Oh, trust me, we do not all agree... and there are probably hundreds of Christines out there who have/had fantastic chemistry with their Phantoms. Actresses also choose to portray her differently, so you can't compare all of them on the same acting choices/portrayals. No one can have possibly watched all of them, anyway. You of can, course have your own opinion, though.
@@lauriebelzer3678 I just love the way his voice sounds and how well he acts out the part. We all have different opinions but I think he definitely portrays the role of phantom very well.
Everyone after Michael is attempting to be as good as he was. Large and Owen-Jones came closest. He didn't need staging, mask or make up to instantly evoke the Phantom. He exudes the character through the screen especially the one with Dale - he'd left NYC just three months earlier and was in rehearsals for the LA opening. How many current fans realize that he worked on the note for "soar" for two months? Two months for one note because he wanted it perfect. So many are hurky-jerky and lack the presence, the cat-like movements and magnetism that Michael had. The character was so much a part of him that you can watch his transformation whether speaking about him or in concert. It just happens without effort on his part. Go watch MOTN from Cerritos in 1998 for his "come back" concert. You can *see* the transformation. Setting a couple rows away at his concerts really drove home that no one will ever be as good as him. I've seen PTO 9 times the last being in 2000 and have liked other performances and said a singer would make a great Phantom. There's still only one Phantom and that's Michael
My phantom will always be Gerard Butler, I love the tone of his voice which melts so well with the rock style tone of the main theme and the film was completely underrated
E B I wouldn’t call the film underrated because it got non Broadway fans a fan of the story. Non Broadway fans don’t really know the real power or the training of the human voice as much. They’re used to Hollywood singers who is improved with auto tune in the studio. That’s kind of everyone in the movie. They are great singers but given the fact it’s a movie not live they have to put auto tune in whether they’re already perfect enough so the voice flows with the background music if that makes any sense.
it was not auto tuned nor strung nor cycled. it was sung cold and clean. i get so sick of people belittling his accomplishments!!! and his abs were not painted on or CGI'd in 300 either
prettymonsterofevil thank god he wasn't trained. do you people honestly think these guys warbling all over in and out of key are good. OMG! I AM SO GLAD I LEFT THE MUSIC BUSINESS. AND HONESTLY I CAN'T EVEN READ THIS TRIPE ANYMORE
eneurian erwin What? You’ve got to be kidding me lol I personally didn’t think Gerard did all that great. And he had the advantage of having his voice recorded and perfected in a studio. You can definitely tell it was touched up on. So I call BS on your statement, especially after basically calling him better than those in this video, and saying they’re out of key and whatnot. Most of those in this video worked hard to perform these songs every night. I call troll, troll.
Some of my faves are Anthony Warlow, Ramin, Norm, Caleb, Michael Crawford and JOJ. Those r some of the prime examples of the best Phantom imo. Caleb really should play the role cos his cover was great
You're asking the wrong question. The hardest note for the Phantom in this piece is his last one. Sustaining that note through those slow, creeping chord changes is a real challenge as "brute force" won't work - you need amazing breath control which Crawford had.
Apples and oranges. Yes, sustaining that note for that long through all of those key changes is challenging. But if I were to cast my phantom, I would pay more attention to the power note. Getting to it, hitting it, holding it, and all the while expressing the power and emotion that go along with it are much more memorable and in keeping with the Phantom, as a character.
Funny thing that you said that. Michael and Babs actually recorded the song as a duet for her 1993 album “Back to Broadway” backed by the entire London Symphony Orchestra.
Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum brought something so unique to the show i just love their impecable acting and interpretation. Unpopular opinion but the 2004 film is my favorite.
Ramin is hands down the best phantom I’ve ever seen, truly plays the part perfectly. John Owen jones and norm Lewis are definitely the other 2 best vocalists on this
I showed my mom the 25th anniversary concert (on amazon) and she kept saying “who is this guy?! He’s amazing!!” And when I pulled up pictures of Ramin on google she was like “why is he shirtless in this one” and I was like oop i’ll just take my phone back thanks
Megan Hart (my personal opinion) Michael Crawford IS the phantom. He was the original, and will always be my favorite. I'm not saying he's my favorite just because he's the original though xD. I originally saw the movie version, and many others, but something about Michael just seems to captivate me and the way his voice flows perfectly is just hnnnnnngggggg
They’re all absolutely brilliant, but my vote has to go to John Owen Jones, Michael Crawford, and yes, Gerard Butler. Butler may not have the technical capabilities of the others, but that raspiness in his voice gives the Phantom even more mystery and emotion, IMHO.
VINDOMRAM VINDOMRAM Gerard isn’t an opera singer like most of the other guys. I think that’s what makes him stand out. I love Gerard I think he is the best out of this video
Everyone thinking Ramin is the best phantom: Mister Golightly: puts Ramin at the end making people watch the whole video just to hear him Me: skips to the end first then goes back to watch the whole video out of respect ✊
Crawford just has that sneakiness to his voice which fits the Phantom. Gerard Butler wins in the sexiest Phantom category. I also enjoyed Anthony Warlow and John Cudia.
100 percent agree with you. Saw him performing live few days ago. Is voice by far for me is the best. It’s so mesmerising. He captured the phantoms feeling completely. He def deserves more recognition
Michael and Gerard always my favorites. Gerard is my favorite personally, prob an underrated opinion idk, maybe because I knew him first, but he has an special power in high notes to make such a strong and resonating sound, like in The Point of No Return.
John Owen Jones for sure , he sang that “Beee” by raising from lower to higher notes. Too beautiful. Most of them just sang the high note with 1 flat note
I usually stick to Ramin (because I think that his voice is unique and no, it's not just because hes handsome 😅) but Earl really deserves some credit 👏
