The Phantom of The Opera (1986 Musical) - Instrumentation

Instrumentation

The 27-piece orchestra is substantially larger than those used in most modern musicals:

A pre-recorded track (organ, synthesisers, drum machine, electric guitars, and bass guitar) supplements the live orchestra during the overture and title song to prevent the noisy motorized props operating in the Journey to the Lair sequence from being amplified by the actors' microphones. The conductor and drummer listen to a click track on headphones to keep the live musicians synchronised with the track. Most of the Phantom's offstage voiceovers are pre-recorded, as is Christine's final note of the title song.

To reduce touring expenses, a downscaled orchestral arrangement was developed that included a third keyboard in lieu of the brass section, reduction of the woodwind section to three instruments, and a smaller string section. The smaller arrangement is also used in the Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular production.