Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has written orchestrated versions of music from three of his best loved shows: Evita, Sunset Boulevard and The Phantom of the Opera. These new arrangements were performed by an 81-piece orchestra, who recorded an album at Lloyd Webber's newly refurbished Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
The recording was created with social distancing and was the very first live performance to take place at the refurbished Theatre Royal Drury Lane, following a two-year, £60 million restoration project. The orchestra was conducted by Simon Lee, theatre musical supervisor.
'The vast stage of Theatre Royal Drury Lane allowed us to socially distance an entire symphonic orchestra, something that is not possible in any recording studio anywhere in the world,' says recording engineers Peter Cobbin and Kirsty Whalley. 'Like the unique bheritage and legacy that comes with the exceptional renovation of Theatre Royal Drury Lane, the recordings marry characterful vintage and time-honoured analogue with the latest state-of-the-art pristine technologies.'
The new album, Andrew Lloyd Webber: Symphonic Suites, will be released on Friday 29 October. You can pre-order on Amazon now.
Top image credit: Alice Whitby
