Phantom with David Briggs

The Phantom of the Opera starring Lon Chaney is a classic of the silent horror era. Based on Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel it is the story of a deformed, masked Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House causing death and destruction in an attempt to make the women with whom he is obsessed a star.

Lon Chaney was widely lauded for his role as the eponymous Phantom, including his remarkable make-up which is still startling even today. The film also makes use of a combination of early colour techniques to add to the drama, most noticeably at the masked ball, where the phantom appears in a striking red outfit and skull mask.

A world-famous concert organist, composer, and improvisor David Briggs is Artist in Residence at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City.  He was hailed by the New York Times as “one of the world’s greatest contemporary organists,” and he has built a world-wide reputation for making organ music exciting, inspiring, and accessible to a broad and diverse range of listeners, helping ensure that present and future generations will appreciate, be moved and even changed by, this supreme instrument. He was described by Andrew McGregor of BBC Radio 3 as a “phenomenal improviser” and in addition to more traditional organ recitals David regularly performs improvised accompaniment to classic silent movies of the 1920s.