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From: MusicMonkey50
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  • Very good voice!

  • i would ask him to marry me if i knew him earlier...

  • Colm Wilkinson *IS* one of the best Phantoms out there! His voice fits so perfectly. He's so hypnotic, it's crazy!

  • I am pleasantly surprised. Rebecca Caine is my favorite Christine, and Colm Wilkinson is a really good Phantom. Go Canadian cast!

  • @phangirl1986 colm wilkinson is irish

  • This is one of my favorite renditions of 'Music of the Night'- No doubt. The high notes are so rich, very haunting yet beautiful. I applaud you, Mr. Wikinson.

  • I saw The Phantom in Toronto also. I agree Clom is the best Phantom!!!!

  • I saw The Phantom of the Opera in Toronto, Canada. Colm was excellent. My favorite Phantom so far.

  • Colm Wilkinson was my first crush back when I was a little one. This... is beautiful.

  • Oh Colm Wilkinson---I am putty in your voice's hands.

  • wow Colm should of been the phantom same as Michael Ball they are both amazing

  • @MJforever85 colm was the phantom for 4 years in toronto unless you mean the film

  • My dear lord. Gerard Butler is a fine actor . There are about a thousand guys that should have dubbed is voice. Don't ever mention Boe, Warnock, Crawford, Wilkinson or any real singers in the same breath as Gerard Butler.Never do that. Ever. EVER.

  • I totally forgot to breathe throughout this whole video. :O

  • Hearing him sing is the most beautiful thing on earth.

  • i think colm has his voice on loan from god

  • @xXEViLLSARGEXx no i think god rents it whenever theres a concert

  • He makes singing it seem so completely effortless, it's amazing.

  • This is one of my favorite renditions of 'Music of the Night'- No doubt. The high notes are so rich, very haunting yet beautiful. I applaud you, Mr. Wikinson

  • 9 people are Gerik fangirls.

  • This does not sound at all like Colm Wilkinson :/

  • The way he goes up at the END!!! I LOVE that!!

  • i love the key this is in- and the beginning- IM IN LOVE WITH!!!!!

  • I agree,,,that Colm is Jean Vaijean..but as an Oprah Ghost, with those incredible tweaks of his one and only voice on the planet, sorry, bohallor, Colm IS ASLO THE PHANTOM. This is from someone who saw them both in person; it really didn't even come close. Colm literally made the hair stand up on my neck multiple times in one showing; one of the saddest moments of my life was that it had to end. Semper Fi

  • Greatest Musical star ever, fcukin unrivaled!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • 9 people are stupid.

    they DISLIKED this.

    gosh darn crack heads!

  • This is good, but for me, the phantom will always be John Owen-Jones

  • I just wanna say... "<3"

  • I still believe Anthony Warlow is the best phantom. If you haven't heard him sing, you have no right saying who the best phantom really is.

  • @Darkort

    He has a different style... more direct and dramatic. But many like myself prefer the more the subtle but with the hurt and anger within style that has influenced so many.

  • Colm Wilkinson is amazing. He has this ability to show all of his emotion through his voice. It's extremely touching. I love him as Valjean in Les Miserables. He's definitely my favorite by far. And even know I've never seen Phantom of the Opera (shame on me, I know) I can tell he was amazing in that as well. And it makes me want to see it.

  • This was the second-best performance of this song ever.

  • That last note is ridiculous. I love Colm. His voice is obviously well trained, but he has a raw edge to his voice that most professional singers lack. He can put so much emotion into what he sings. He could probably sing Happy Birthday and I'd cry my eyes out :)

  • sigh...I could listen to him sing all day. Thank you so much for posting this.

  • THANK YOU!! ive heard so many versions of this sing and so far a great deal rushed it! Finally found one where they didnt and took their sweet time and its Colm. thank you thank you thank you. he has a fatherly touch to his voice that i find comforting.

  • colm has this imperfect aspect to his voice. its perfect for certain roles, like phantom and jean valjean. its not flawless, yet it makes his performance as certain character types absolutely unforgettable.

  • You tell Colm Wilkinson to hit that last note better then anyone has hit it before, and Colm Wilkinson will do JUST THAT

  • How the film cast Gerard Butler in such an important role is beyond my understanding.> WHYYYYY? at least get a singer who can sing

  • Amazing high notes!

  • I think we all need to stop talking about who does this role best. Michael, Gerard, and Colm each made it their own. I like that there's so many interpretations of this song. None are better than than the other, they are just DIFFERENT.

  • @louffylou THANK YOU!! these men were/are actors. they want to put their own spin on things

  • he did this before jean valjean...

  • I am an admirer of Colm, I will say first off. And of Michael Crawford. And the angry Phantom of Ramin Karimloo.

    What I adore about Colm is that every word is so precise, which makes it less of a "believe in me, I will sweep you away" song as much as a "come with me and see what you can achieve through such beauty". And I like it. It's a different take, and an interesting angle to explore. And the mystery he conveys. I'd run after him.

  • Idol!

  • I LOVE HIS VOICE,BUT NOT FOR PHANTOM

  • I like both Wilkinson and Butler as the phantom because their voices aren't extremely "perfect." Their voices have a hint of imperfection that portrays the raw emotion the phantom MUST be feeling.

  • Colm was the original Che for the Evita album way back in 1977 his voice blew me away then and it has got better with age. Muran taing Colm!!!

  • ~sigh~ I'm in love with this man <3 <3

  • LOL! I love that picture at 3:24. It looks like the Phantom's saying: ... HOW CAN SHE LOVE THAT TWO FACED IDIOT?!

  • How on earth does he hold that last note. There are easily 5 gear changes in his voice, and yet the flow was beautiful. Bravo Colm

  • I've always thought Anthony Warlow was my favourite phantom but Colm is giving him a run for his money.

  • Not a huge Colm fan to be honest. His vibrato always makes him sound sharp. Interesting he does this in D and not in Db as well.

  • The best singers are naturals like him, he can sing anything. I saw Colm Wilkinson's "Broadway and Beyond" concert in Buffalo, NY last week, and this song was the opener. He then proceeded to tell Irish jokes and also sang "Up Where We Belong" by Joe Cocker (with Susan Gilmour) and "She's Leaving Home" by the Beatles! What a guy!

  • I love Colm but Michael Crawford is far superior as the Phantom. I could sense the pathos haunting Michael's voice, not Colm's though. My view. :))

  • @bahma810 I disagree, but that's my view. I think Crawford has talent, but Wilkinson moves me on levels Crawford could never touch. That said, I'm glad to read another Phantom listener. ;-)

  • @bahma810 emotionally crawford is a better actor voice colm blows him away though I enjoy crawfords voice just the same

  • This is the most touching version of that song! I loved it the first time I heard it.

  • colm has i sense of realness to his voice it has charachter... i hate these fucking trained singers who are like a pair of jeans in a cloths shop that all get made the same!!! colm is like a brand that is made with a bit of speacial ness in it... he focuses more on putting feeling and emotions into his singing rather than what his teacher tells him to do always... which is soooooooooooo boring.... him and michael ball have 2 of the most real raw voices in musical thatre ever!! fact... dissagree?

  • @hawkeycleaning I completly agree with you. And vocal teachers are amazing but they each want you to sing a certain way and I for one would rather have someone singing like Colm then like everyone else. I'm a musical theatre person and people are always telling me I have such a unique and distinct voice, but when vocal teachers hear me they tell me to change the tone or to sing in my head voice, which in turn makes me sound like any other singer.

    So I agree with you a hundred percent.

  • very impressive stepping up on the last word. Great breath control

  • @jhill74893

    absolutely horrible. The beauty of the last d-flat is that it is dissonant with the other chords until it resolves in the final d-flay chord. His going up show bad taste. He just wants to sing in his head voice all the time. Terrible

  • @JCLAWS You are correct. Some of the releases were ghastly, as well. He's a fake opera singer. And why did he go up.....he ruined my favorite part of the song.

  • @kgunby I agree completely the last Night in the song shouldn't be sung at a high octave

  • half wits! He is the best

  • @aznfryk I also love Gerard Butler's version too, Colm Wilkinson's, & Michael Crawford's too!

  • (MAD) PEOPLE STOP BEING NEGATIVE ABOUT GERARD BUTLER NOW! I'M A FAN OF HIS & I WON'T TOLERATE ANY NEGATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT HIS MUSIC OF THE NIGHT VERSION! STOP NOW! IT'S WAY BETTER!

  • @Concertchoir75 You. Calm down. This is youtube, people express their opinions and sometimes they are different to yours.

    No need to go all caps-lock on us.

  • I'm glad I checked this version out. Wilkinson gives an interesting interpretation and I like how light he keeps this song. Much prefer it over Butler's version though I suppose that's an unfair comparison. Butler got the anger down right, I guess, but I found it hard to believe his voice as "the Angel of Music". But for me, no one can beat Crawford. He managed to lace a believable bitterness throughout his performance as Phantom which, imho, really gave an extra dimension to the character.

  • omg Gerard Butler's version? It was an insult to singers that he got the part. He was terrible. *shaking head in disbelief*

  • @thewindwas I like Gerard Butler his is like a lullaby version & It helps me fall asleep every night. I give Gerard Butler an A+ 100% on his version performance of Music Of The Night.

  • @thewindwas I bet He can sing better than You!

  • This isn't really all that good. I like that he's trying to make it his own, but it doesn't fit at all.

  • I love Gerard Butler's version. He captured the anger of the Phantom perfectly, and his preformance made me fall in love with the musical. I love Michael Crawford too, and Anthony Warlow.

  • @iisjazz FINALLY SOMEONE WHO LIKES GERARD BUTLER TOO! I'M A FAN OF HIS TOO FOR MUSIC OF THE NIGHT! I ALSO LOVE CRAWFORD & ANTHONY WARLOW TOO!

  • @Concertchoir75 how can you like gerads voice its horrible and synthesized

  • I like Colm and Peter karrie's versions. Their voices go a bit deeper then Michael Crawford's. The two give me goose bumps when I listen to them. I saw the Canadian production which Colm and Peter starred in.

  • Everyone says that Gerard Butler's version was the best, but how many of you have gone back to listen to it again a couple of times? If you don't know this already but Gerard doesn't have any musical backround whats so ever. He did a good job, if that was the first time you ever heard music from this musical. Go back and listen to his version, then go and listen to someone who really can sing. There is a big difference. I like Gerard's version because of its rough and sensual sound.

  • People like Gerard's because they are more used to it and he's famous and girls think he's handsome. His version has nothing on Michael Crawford's. Just like Colm is forever Jean Valjean, Crawford is forever the Phantom.

  • @bohallor ur right is suppose. but it was colm who collaborated with ALW when he was writing the show. he was also LLoyd Webber's first choice for Phantom but he ws already signed up for Les Mis. Basically, Colm rocks!!!

  • @bohallor i see your point... even though i disagree. a lot. i hate michael crawford's voice. HATE IT. always have, always will. i like the emotion behind gerard's voice. not the best singing,but very emotional. colm is my personal favorite.

  • @bohallor People like Gerard's version better because they're musically retarded if you don't mind me being blunt.

  • @Playstation72

    I don't mind you being blunt, and I agree entirely.

  • @bohallor Crawford's overrated.

  • @bohallor Although Wilkinson is a better singer, if I had just looked at the music, I would have put it with a voice similar to Gerard's. Colm sounds too nice to be a stalker. However, Christine sounds better with Sarah's voice.

  • @bohallor and Frank Spencer!

  • @mijessegirl I give him props for trying to do a musical like Phantom on his first go aroud with musicals. As far as I see it Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals are some of the most vocally challenging right after works like Les Miserables. So Gerard Butler gets props for trying, and he really doesn't do that bad. But I prefer Ramin Karimloo or Michael Crawford versions.

  • @mijessegirl Ha! Replying to myself... Anyway, after watching the movie with my friend a couple of times I understand the mistake I made by saying that he didn't do a good job - which is not what I said! I think he did great for not having any musical background. But what I was saying was that there is a difference in the quality between Gerard and someone like Michael Crawford. I do agree that a deeper voice is sometimes better though... :) 

  • I love Michael's emotion, but I like how operatic and clear Colm's voice is.

  • Its wonderful, but Gerard Butler and Michael Crawford is better! hes like too kind in his voice! But in Bring Him Home he is perfect! I think Michael Maguires version of this is a little better. But its still sweet

  • Music of the Night is great but my favorite song Bring him home from Les Miz is unbelievable by far i believe his best performance

  • @PokerPunk64 Check out Michael's version of Bring Him Home. Both bring me to tears as this is an anthem for families of our militiary.

  • @PokerPunk64 I agree!

  • Michael crawford ...... stick that in your pipe and smoke :)

  • michael crawford the original phantom is 10x better than gerad butler

  • i know the phantom's supposed to be emotional and tortured, but the over-exaggerated weepiness of his rendition is almost overwhleming. beautiful voice, though. :)

  • Beautiful but the best version is song by Ciaran Sheehan who played the Phantom in over 1000 perfomances. Check his website for a sample.

  • Holy crap!!! he held out that last note forever!! Colm is a bad ass. : )

  • I agree with you. I think that the best is Gerald Butler... jajaja! Im kidding. The bests in my opinion are Michael Crawford and Juan Carlos Barona

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  • Who do uthink is the best phantom of all time?

  • i gotta say my favourite Phantoms are Colm Wilkinson , Hugh Panaro , Brent Barrett , Michael Crawford and Ramin Karimloo but the best I'd say is Brent Barrett

  • Colm!!! <3

  • When was this recorded? I am used to the Canadian Cast Recording. I know this is not it. Is this the Broadway Recording? The score is much more enjoyable.

  • He holds that last note for 32 seconds whilst going through the change ups!! Bloody incredible Crawford or anyone I don't think could do that. Its the same with the final note in "Bring Him Home" he holds that for 35 seconds, try it out. He does "Maria" from Stage Heroes really well too, I don't know any singer as good. Danny Boy, the list just goes on and on fantastically versatile as per the "Some of my best friends are songs" album

  • I love Colm, especially as Valjean in Les Mis, but there is a better singer on the horizon, check up on Rhydian Roberts singing this

  • @cuddleegeezer2009 No one seems to have pointed out in a year that he holds that last note from 5:34 to 6:01 ....thats 27 seconds, as a professional tenor...I can tell you, it's not that hard :P

  • @ProfTenor

    So are you saying Colm is overrated in that last part? Also, this version is 'speeded' up. Therefore, it is longer than it actually is.

    At the end of the day, he is able to capture the imagination of many.

  • @cuddleegeezer2009 I was wandering around youtube tonight to see if anyone has put a video of Colm W. doing "Maria" because I love it so much and want to share it with my friends. You're right, he's a powerhouse.

  • I mean in general. Not to you specifically. Sorry. D:

  • So that means that I'M not allowed to call him Erik? -.-;;

  • Andrew Loyd Weber actually wrote the role of the phantom for Colm Wilkinson. But at the time he was on tour for Les Miserables and wasn't able to take the part.

  • Never heard this before. Perhaps it's the recording, but Wilkinson seems very restrained, especially when compared to the Crawford recording.

    And yet we know from JvJ that he has tremendous tonal volume range.

  • "therealgigglebop", Michael is better than JOJ at Phantom, and Colm is better than JOJ at ValJean, and Michael is better than Colm at Phantom, and Colm would be better than Michael at ValjEan if he did it...end of story.

  • you are so right

  • A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. his name could be anything, but his singing would still be haunting and moving at the same time.

  • Anthony Warlow still is the best phantom..... nothing against this man tho

  • i think skinny actors fits perfect for the role. Seems more "scary".

    people, search for Saulo Vasconcelos, the actor from brazilian cast. He also performed in Mexico, and have an amazing voice.

  • was the first pic of the phantom Charles dance?????? cuz hes the bomb and his voice (when hes talking) is really cool sounding

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  • i could listen to wilkinson everyday for the rest of my life! his voice is one of those that brings a tear to your eye and a smile to your face all at the same time..especially in les mis, where he sings "bring him home"

    amazing!

  • Tremendous version of this song!

  • I guess I'm biased... I'm more of a Crawford phan. To me, Michael will always be Erik and THE only Erik, just like Colm will always Valjean. However, listening to this, I admit that Wilkinson is an /amazing/ phantom as well. He sings this beautifully! <3

  • I think John Owen Jones is better than crawford and wilkinson at both roles

  • Erik isn't the Phantom's name in the musical. Stick to his name - Phantom. Save Erik for the book.

  • How do you know? Just because they don't specifically SAY his name in the musical doesn't mean that it isn't his name. Phantom is his title.

    I prefer to say Erik because I want to refer to people by their NAMES. Please don't correct me for my preference, because it's the still the same character.

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  • Hm. That sounded a tad ruder then I intended. Sorry. D:

  • I agree jc19940. I've always thought the people who say Colm sounds too much like Valjean were being unfair. He can't change his voice. That would be like saying Crawford's Phantom sounds too much like his character in Hello Dolly. If you can't separate the two roles that's your fault, not Colm's.

  • Gerard Butler???Terrible... Amazing actor,very handsome, but as a singer he`s not good.Even Antonio Banderas could have been a better choice for the movie. I love this one with Colm Wilkinson, he`s allways superb. But Michael Crawford is still the best one.

  • Why Hollywood continues to make films of musicals starring non-singers or barely-singers is puzzling. True, Butler is handsome but why cast a handsome man to play the Phantom? While non-singers have been successful in musicals (Harvey Firestein in Fiddler and Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady) it was due to their personalities and acting skills. Talking a song takes discipline and talent.

  • I was fortunate enough to see Colm play the phantom in Toronto. He was great!

  • I got shivers down my spine listening to this. :D

  • I love his voice,I'd give anything to be able to sing just half as good as this.

  • he is singing the song beatifully!!!!

    Gerard Butler is just an hansome guy, but he can sing aswell....but not as good as Colm

  • Wow, this is very very good. I like Crawford a little bit better, but this is the first time I've heard Wilkinson and he certainly adds his own little flair to the part. His voice makes me relax :D

  • I prefer Michael Crawford to Colm, but they both are very good and leave that 2004 movie guy, who is in some of the pictures, IN THE DUST.

  • they probably cast Gerard Butler in the movie because they thought he looked in the mask.

  • I can't listen to him & not think "My god he's so amazing". I'm in love with his voice.

  • I think too many people care about the fact that he sounds too much like Valjean. He can't actually change the way he sings for the roles, because his distinct vocal tonality isnt formed by his voice; it's formed by his Irish accent.

  • CW has the deep, slightly gloomy quality that I originally thought MC did (b4 i heard either the OLC or OCC). jus reading the part made me characterize his voice in my mind.

  • for having a youtube account named xxkewldudexx you are extremely deep and appear to be rather clever lol.

  • Thank you! yes i am very deep and clever quite frankly...xxkewldudexx was just a name i came up with randomly when i made my account last year...i have a random, funny side (as you can see by looking at my videos lol) but again, thanks for the compliment! my interests are many and varied (just for music, i can go from listening to POTO to Pink Floyd to Marilyn Manson to just about anything else you can think of!)

  • This is definantly a hard choice to make. Mike or Colm? Though I am a devoted Mike fan I think that he's meet an equal talent in the singing department. Colm's voice makes me wanna cry when he throws his voice, like in the phrase, "turn your face away, from the garish light of day" . . . uhg, that makes me smile. Although I do feel that Mike has a more promenent (sp?) and powerful voice that demands respect, but Colm's is easily more seductive on this song, as it should be. they both are great!!

  • Very good points.

    I used to favor MC as I had always considered him the original Phantom.

    But over time, I started appreciate Colm's voice/performance too, and more so in some cases. Music of the Night is definitely MC's song (as he has a mystical seduction voice when he sings it like no other), but overall, Colm actually has the more versatile voice.

    He was also considered to play the first Phantom (before MC).

  • I have heard both (on here) sing the other's role. Michael Crawford is definately the better Phantom and Colm is the better JVJ. You can hear the emotions for the song better when they do their own role. Both have amazing voices.

  • I was fortunate enough to see Colm perform when Phantom was in Toronto. The man has the voice of an angel. It is a joy to hear him sing. He brings me to tears every time.

  • Is there a link for the last of the pictures? The man sitting by the piano?

  • I went to see Colm Wilkinson in Buffalo a couple years ago. He performed some of his own music as well as all his famous musical performances.

    When he sang Bring Him Home, I cried. His voice is absolutely mesmerizing!

  • i think all qualities of the role are originated by the original. if colm would have been the first phantom like actually on stage like crawford was and crawford was the first valjean then we all would say they werent good for the opposite parts jsut like we r now. but colm owns all basically. voice is amazing for any role. amazing actor. one of the all-time greats

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  • He's..awesome...

    Man, he's a million years older than me.

    Dammit, I can't fangirl over him without feeling like a perv.

  • very true lil. colm couldn't get out of les mis, thus webber offered crawford a role (who thought he would be raoul NOT the phantom)

  • I wonder if they've ever done a concert performance together... That'd be something to see (or hear, for that matter) Colm as Phantom, Crawford as Raoul, and Brightman as Christine in that last scene of the play

  • ha, I would pay such a large ammount of money to see that. I mean at least in Michael's benefit, he'll finally have Christine!! But you know. . . I've never thought about that. . . that'd be a kick to see!

  • sorry, i shouldve said CW's *voice* has...etc. etc.! my bad!

  • Colm Wilkinson actually originated this role before Michael Crawford was cast in the original broadway cast.

  • To me noooo one comes cose to michael crawford, Except Mr. Milkinson.

  • beautiful voice... my mother cried when she heard him sing bring him home in les miserables. it's so amazing, what some people can do. i'm just glad that i can hear it!

  • Eh, I think his voice is much better for Les Miserables. He just doesn't have that Phantom quality.

  • the master of the head tone

  • Great perfomance!

    But like earlier stated Michael Crawford is the best... Still amazing perfomance!

  • Not bad, not bad...:)

  • WOW! My head is spinning after that! Colm is a demigod!!

  • Oh Colm Wilkinson. I love his voice so much. Even though Michael Crawford will always be my favorite Phantom, Mr. Wilkinson is a close second. Gerard Butler...he was alright, but I think they could have choosen a much better Phantom for the movie.

  • Amen to that.

  • when he held the last note( wat was it, like 20 secs??) i was sort of waiting for him to stop. i mean- its not possible for anyone to hold a note that long while singing and making ur voice higher!!! but he's still astounding!

  • i can only say this:

    A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

    colm is the best phantom and jean valjean ever.