Before it was a West End musical, The Phantom of the Opera was a silent horror movie.
Rupert Julian’s adaptation of the classic book may not have been an immediate hit in 1925, but has gained fans since. One of these was composer and jazz pianist Roy Budd, who dreamed of writing music for the film since he was a child.
Budd did just that, but never got to see his piece performed, as he died from a brain haemorrhage weeks before the scheduled premiere at the Barbican in 1993.
Now, the piece finally receives its Barbican performance, as the 72-piece Docklands Sinfonia will play the live accompaniment to the film on March 18. The score has had just one other outing, at the London Coliseum in 2017, when Budd’s wife Sylvia fulfilled her promise to her husband before he died that she would make sure his Phantom was performed.
Budd made his own debut at the Coliseum at just six years old, going onto compose the music for a number of films including 1971 gangster movie Get Carter, starring Michael Caine, and later The Wild Geese, which starred hellraisers Richard Burton and Richard Harris, alongside one time Bond Roger Moore.
Roy Budd’s Phantom of the Opera is on for one night only on 18 March with all proceeds going to Rotary’s Purple4Polio Campaign to End Polio Now and forever.
To celebrate we have 50 pairs of tickets to he performance to give away. To enter, log-in or register below and enter your details.
To find out more and to book tickets, visit barbican.org.uk
Terms & Conditions: 18+. Promotion closes at 14.00 on Thursday 14 March 2019. There are 50 pairs of tickets available for Roy Budd’s Phantom of the Opera on Monday 18 March only. The winners will be the first 50 entries selected at random after the closing date and will be contacted by email by 16 March 2019. Travel to and from the venue and any other expenses incurred are not included in the prize and are the responsibility of the winner. Tickets are non-transferable and there is no cash alternative. One online entry per person. Usual promotion rules apply, see www.standard.co.uk/rules. For further information, please write to Customer Care, Evening Standard Limited, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London, W8 5EE. Promoter: Purple for Polio.
