What could possibly be "in the vault"
Joseph Fagan
( out takes, do-overs, things eliminated from movie film etc) being
tucked away in the vault. For the life of me I cannot understand how
this could happen for such a long time ( 50 yrs) when Lanza devotees
would almost pay anything for something "new", or never heard, by
Mario. Just imagine if someone came up with something new!!! Is this
even possible or is this just blathering by a certain member of
another forum.? Do we know for sure that there are some items in the
vault that never have been sampled or heard? Is it possible that Lanza
may have recorded some items that do not show on any recording logs?
I think the answer to all of this is there is very little chance, but
one can hope. What a way to start out 2010 ( a discovery). Well, at
any rate, let me wish all of you a happy and prosperous 2010....and
keep on enjoying the riches we DO have!
Joe
Anita
bought some cds from Fan Faire.com including the Coke shows set (an
extravagent gift to myself) and have been listening to songs I have
never heard before. They arrived today and I am having a great
"listening" day. With no one else at home I can listen to my heart's
content. The cds Damon and Bob Dolfi made have private home
recordings on them as well as unreleased takes and are worth buying if
you don't have them already . I particularly enjoyed listening to the
opera excerpts on the cd "If You Were Mine" and only wish they were
all the complete arias as he sounds wonderful. Wouldn't you like to
have been there when he was singing - WOW! Happy New Year! Let's
live in hope that something will surface in 2010.
Derek McGovern
that haven't been released yet (around 20 of them), but all of these
can be heard in perfectly good sound on the Damon Lanza Productions 15-
CD Coke set that Anita mentions above. The great majority are inferior
to versions that are already on commercial CD.
What I'd love to hear, though, are the various outtakes of material
that Mario recorded for his films, eg, the partial take of the
Improvviso for The Great Caruso, other Great Caruso takes of Celeste
Aida, the outtakes of Amor Ti Vieta and O Paradiso (among others) that
were recorded for Serenade, What's to Be? from The Student Prince
sessions, etc. I'd also love to hear the 1952 I'll Walk with God in
its original form (ie, with organ only). Then there are the attempted
Student Prince remakes of December 1953 with Gale Sherwood that I'm
certainly curious to hear...
There must also be numerous outtakes from the Cavalcade of Show Tunes
sessions of August-September 1956, as we know from the logs that the
versions released were not the first or even second takes recorded in
many instances. (In fact, from memory one of the released versions is
the *sixth* take made that day.) And for all we know there may even be
outtakes of some of the great "Mario!" album numbers and FTFT sessions
-- though knowing how haphazard RCA Italiana's filing system was, I
doubt those would ever see the light of day :-))
Derek McGovern
separate thread):
"Hi.It is great to know that there are many songs which have not yet
been released but I tried to order some CDs from Lanza legend and was
told they were no longer selling merchandise.Can anyone shed some
light on this?"
Hi Norma: As far as I know, you can still buy all of the Damon Lanza
Productions CDs here:
Lover of Grand Voices
where in the archives of MGM or any of the places that Derek
mentions. Obviously there is a commercial value in releasing more and
I hope the hand of profit makes its move in this regard. If any one
learns of new songs on the market that are not in the available
collections, please let us know.
All the best
On Dec 31 2009, 6:14 pm, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com>
wrote:
norma
Thanks again for your information.I have ordered some
CDs from Fanfaire and can`t wait to receive them.
Norma
On Dec 31 2009, 11:14 pm, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com>
wrote:
Derek McGovern
I don't know which CDs you've ordered, but there are certainly some
gems among them (soundtrack and studio outtakes, for example). It
might be a good idea in future, though, to inquire here first before
ordering, as quite a few of us have these CDs and can offer you our
frank assessments of them! Some of the discs are certainly better
than others.
Mike McAdam
released from the vaults; the film version of “I’ll Walk With God”
sans orchestra. Here we have just Mario, old Wesley T. on organ and
the ever-present choir. A great version (which I’ve hopefully
remastered in an acceptable way?)
Somehow, the stereo on the LaserDisc/DVD soundtrack (kindly donated by
my ever-patient Australian friend;-) has reverted to mono in the
transition. No matter, sounds okay to me.
http://www.4shared.com/file/188586606/8bacbda8/IllWalkWithGod-FilmSoundtrack.html
Here’s a second version where I added a small amount of Cathedral
reverb to simulate how Mr. Lanza may have sounded if he had actually
recorded this within the edifice depicted in the film (Derek won’t
like this one ;-)):
http://www.4shared.com/file/188593193/25f53d69/IllWalkWithGod-FilmSoundtrack2.html
Enjoy - and let me know what you think! (and those other 20-odd folks
who have downloaded my previous “Deep In My Heart, Dear” for a listen,
do feel free to comment also). I know this feedback and discussion of
Mario’s music is what Derek would love to see more of on our great
Forum.
Best, Mike
On Dec 30 2009, 4:03 am, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com>
wrote:
Joseph Fagan
norma
the interviews on line and wanted my own copies.I also ordered One
Love of Mine as it had rehearsals and out takes.I hope these are
good.Have you any other suggestions?
Norma
.
> > >http://www.fanfaire.com/lanza/index.html- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
leeann
Welcome to the forum!
I've appreciated the Because You're Mine CD as much for the personal
glimpses it gives of Lanza as the alternate takes. The other is the
Serenade CD which includes an alternate take of Nessun Dorma which I
believe many consider musically better to the released version.
I'm musically inept, so I'd also look forward to other people's ideas
on these CDs.
The Voce e notte compilation... It's terrific to have access to this
kind of archival material--both because it's Mario Lanza and because
of the insight it gives in some interviews about how celebrities were
presented and told to present themselves. Some are very clearly studio-
staged; others, more natural. But the very stylized interviews are fun
to listen to, although I found myself wondering "who is the real Mario
Lanza." He seemed quite capable of going along with whatever story it
might be fun for the interviewer and audience to hear.
But one of the interviews that stands out to me is his conversation
with Ray Heindorf about the music in Serenade. He talks in a very
heartfelt way about how he approaches a song--finding his
interpretation inside the form. I'm not in the same place as my CDs
right now, so I can't re-listen, but what stood out to me about that
interview was how innate and all-encompassing his voice and talent
were. And intuitive--beyond words.
It will be nice to hear what you think. Best, Lee Ann
Derek McGovern
> I have ordered the CDs Voce e Notte because I have only heard some of
> the interviews on line and wanted my own copies.I also ordered One
> Love of Mine as it had rehearsals and out takes.I hope these are
> good.Have you any other suggestions?
Hi Norma: I second the comments that Lee Ann makes above about the
Voce 'e Notte and Serenade CDs. There are some very interesting
interviews on the first of these discs -- especially the Heindorf one
(which you can also hear on this site). Some of the early non-scripted
interviews are good too, but bear in mind that Mario bends the truth
at little about things like his height and age! The sound is excellent
on the Serenade CD. There is some repetition of tracks, though. (It's
also a shame that the Mario-Gloria Boh Otello duet -- recorded for
Serenade but not used -- wasn't included.)
I don't like the One Love of Mine CD simply because I can't stand
Kathryn Grayson's voice or singing! Unfortunately, she's on *every*
track.
If You Were Mine, on the other hand, is an excellent collection of
goodies -- and I think that's the CD Lee Ann was referring to when she
mentioned "Because You're Mine". (If You Were Mine, One Love of Mine,
Because You're Mine...they all blend into one after a while!)
One Alone has some interesting things on it too -- raw takes of
various things. My only criticism is that some of the tracks are
running a little fast (just as the home recordings on If You Are Mine
are running a tad slow).
Cheers
Derek
Derek McGovern
us!
The laserdisc version of I'll Walk With God took my breath away. It's
impossible for anyone who truly loves voices not to be blown away by
the majesty and poignancy of this singing. The sound is great!
I was (predictably) much less keen on the "cathedral" version, though
it was definitely interesting to begin with :-)
Thanks a lot, Mike!
Cheers
Derek
On Jan 6, 3:21 am, Mike McAdam <macadame...@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote:
> I know that this recording is one that Derek would love to see
> released from the vaults; the film version of “I’ll Walk With God”
> sans orchestra. Here we have just Mario, old Wesley T. on organ and
> the ever-present choir. A great version (which I’ve hopefully
> remastered in an acceptable way?)
> Somehow, the stereo on the LaserDisc/DVD soundtrack (kindly donated by
> my ever-patient Australian friend;-) has reverted to mono in the
> transition. No matter, sounds okay to me.
>
> http://www.4shared.com/file/188586606/8bacbda8/IllWalkWithGod-FilmSou...
>
> Here’s a second version where I added a small amount of Cathedral
> reverb to simulate how Mr. Lanza may have sounded if he had actually
> recorded this within the edifice depicted in the film (Derek won’t
> like this one ;-)):
>
> http://www.4shared.com/file/188593193/25f53d69/IllWalkWithGod-FilmSou...
> > doubt those would ever see the light of day :-))- Hide quoted text -
Jan Hodges
|
Thanks Mike for your concoctions.... Very nice. I preferred the sound track version of I'll walk with God.
Sorry I don't have more time to write but I have a house full of visiting relatives at the moment. I haven't even had time to listen properly to my Original Classics album yet.. But I wanted to just thank Mike for his work. I hope to resurface at the end of the month.
Regards Jan | |||
|
|
norma
You are so right about the confusing titles.I meant to
order If You Were Mine with the rehearsals and instead ordered O ne
Love of Mine ,.I`ll put it on my next order.
Thanks for the
advice.
Norma
leeann
On Jan 6, 1:56 am, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> If You Were Mine, on the other hand, is an excellent collection of
> goodies -- and I think that's the CD Lee Ann was referring to when she
> mentioned "Because You're Mine". (If You Were Mine, One Love of Mine,
> Because You're Mine...they all blend into one after a while!)
>
>
> Cheers
> Derek
Whoops. Sorry. Some of us really need to start proofreading. Yes, I
did mean If You Were Mine--probably would've been a worse misstep if
the title had included "the Best Of:"
Mike, adding my thanks for the "I'll Walk With God." Knocked off socks
are flying all over the place, and I, for one, am creating a McAdams
CD.
Is there any interest in a thread on the Albert Hall selections
Lasciateme morire, Gia il sole dal Gange and Pieta Signore? Did they
mark a musical turning point for Lanza? Did he regularly include them
in concert programs? Why? I can guess that perhaps they were well-
suited to the acoustics and size of Albert Hall and likely sound
delay. So many questions, so little knowledge :-).
Best, Lee Ann
Derek McGovern
> Hi Derek,
You are so right about the confusing titles.I meant to
> order If You Were Mine with the rehearsals and instead ordered O ne
> Love of Mine ,.I`ll put it on my next order.
> Thanks for the
> advice.
Hi Norma: If it's the home rehearsals you're after, then the CD that
comes with Armando Cesari's book, Mario Lanza: An American Tragedy,
has these in the best quality (eg, at the right speed), plus the home
Un Tal Gioco (which is not on any of the Damon Lanza Productions CDs).
Armando's CD also brings together the very best of Lanza's live radio
and concert performances (1945-49), plus the rare 1958 I'm Falling in
Love with Someone from the Saturday Spectacular TV Show.
Lee Ann wrote:
"Is there any interest in a thread on the Albert Hall selections
Lasciateme morire, Gia il sole dal Gange and Pieta Signore? Did they
mark a musical turning point for Lanza? Did he regularly include them
in concert programs? Why? I can guess that perhaps they were well-
suited to the acoustics and size of Albert Hall and likely sound
delay. So many questions, so little knowledge :-)."
By all means start an Albert Hall thread, Lee Ann! I'll chime in when
I can, and I'm sure that others here would like to comment as well.
Cheers
Derek
Armando
the voice sound so round and clear in this number, which is
magnificently sung. Fantastic stuff!
I actually don’t mind the cathedral version either as it, indeed,
gives the feeling of a church atmosphere, but the first one is
preferable.
On Jan 6, 1:21 am, Mike McAdam <macadame...@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote:
> I know that this recording is one that Derek would love to see
> released from the vaults; the film version of “I’ll Walk With God”
> sans orchestra. Here we have just Mario, old Wesley T. on organ and
> the ever-present choir. A great version (which I’ve hopefully
> remastered in an acceptable way?)
> Somehow, the stereo on the LaserDisc/DVD soundtrack (kindly donated by
> my ever-patient Australian friend;-) has reverted to mono in the
> transition. No matter, sounds okay to me.
>
> http://www.4shared.com/file/188586606/8bacbda8/IllWalkWithGod-FilmSou...
>
> Here’s a second version where I added a small amount of Cathedral
> reverb to simulate how Mr. Lanza may have sounded if he had actually
> recorded this within the edifice depicted in the film (Derek won’t
> like this one ;-)):
>
> http://www.4shared.com/file/188593193/25f53d69/IllWalkWithGod-FilmSou...
Vince Di Placido
very curious, does the Laser disc have a true stereo soundtrack on the
Lanza songs?
Mike McAdam
thread. (any members who abhor 'technobabble', be forewarned).
I listened to my Laser Disc (copy to DVD) of 'The Student Prince"
again today; ostensibly to listen for stereo (or not) renderings of
the soundtrack music and the individual songs. What an amazing
difference between my P.C. drive output and the Blu-Ray player's
rendition to my home theatre screen. The difference in picture clarity
is bloomin' amazing! The colour nuances, the tonal range, skin
tones...even the music has more dynamic range. And, as for the
music...it *is* in stereophonic sound. The left to right spread among
my three front speakers stretches across the wall and gives a
wionderful sound field. Here's the peculiar thing: the musical intros
to the songs are all in that lovely wide sound field then as soon as
Mario or Ann (in her solos) opens his/her mouth the sound switches to
mono from the centre front speaker. Get this though....at the end of
"Deep in My Hear, Dear" as they sing their last two words "....of you"
as they walk away in the mist to centre-stage rear, it switches
briefly back to stereo until music fade-out. Go figure!
I checked the waveforms in my audio editing suite and you can see the
differences between channels
The same with "I'll Walk With God". Right at the end, a switch back to
stereo. With headphones you can really hear the difference.
Now, when the Prince sings "Ergo Bibamus" with his Westphalian pals,
it's mono from the centre. As soon as the prince goes to get his
bangers and cabbage ;-) and the lads sing on their own around the
piano, it's back to full-width stereo. The same with the student's
singing just before Mario's “Drink, Drink, Drink" They are in stereo,
he's in mono. Again, go figure!
The thing I'm wondering is: did Mario go and record in the mono-
equipped RCA studios rather than on the MGM soundstage after his blow-
up with Bernhardt? The discarded "Beloved" he did immediately prior to
that fracas is in stereo I believe? I wonder if there are any MGM
sound techs from those days still around to ask?
Makes for an interesting discussion even it is a bit technical. Hope
you folks don't mind me rambling to the also-technical Vince in this
manner? (our Kiwi moderator is not allowed in here as we have
temporarily banned him in order to help him, nay, force him to meet
his looming thesis deadline! :-))
Cheers, Mike
On Jan 7, 3:27 pm, Vince Di Placido <vincent.diplac...@gmail.com>
wrote:
leeann
interesting, and your sound system is apparently quite amazing. By
comparison, I don't know whether to look at my headphones and laugh or
cry. Thanks for the information, and thinking of Derek as he enters
the countdown-to-printer stage. Lee Ann
Mike McAdam
Forum I would dare to bet it's state-of-the-art. My system may have
been once but it's getting dated now. Incidentally, my headphones are
a cheap ($25) pair of Sony's.
I must reconsider my statement about Mario having packed himself over
to RCA to record his vocals. The alternate takes for the film which
appear on the (now deleted) Rhino CD "Mario Lanza's Greatest
Performances at M-G-M" are all in full stereo. I'm baffled. Ach
weil....it's a lovely film and merits proper remastering for DVD
release (and Blu-ray of course). But wait.....the upcoming 3-D
broadcast standard apparently threatens to obsolete the whole
bloomin' lot! :-)) We'll see.
Cheers, Mike
Vince Di Placido
thanks, Derek :-)
I cannot figure out how we have a perfect stereo image with the film
score but when the vocal numbers start it is a mono mix, great though
the mono sound is, it is disappointing after the stereo sound...
I take it this has to do with the almost 2 years between Mario's 1952
vocal recordings & the then recently recorded film score for the 1954
release? Why didn't the films sound mixer do stereo mixes of the vocal
selections for the film?
By the way, dvd really isn't enough for me now that I have seen some
classics remastered for Blu-ray. I recently saw "North by Northwest",
"Gone With The Wind" & "The Wizard of Oz" I was absolutely blown away
by the clarity, definition, colour & the sound. There is amazing work
being done on these releases, unfortunately we can't even get dvd
releases of Mario's films let alone hope for the ultimate remastering
for Blu-ray. I always thought Blu-ray was only going to benefit state
of the art new film but the classics benefit amazingly well.
Mike McAdam
yes, isn't that VCD of Armando's LaserDisc a delight to watch on the
big HDTV screen (albeit a smallish image not filling the screen with
its pre-HDTV resolution). Played thru the BluRay eqpt, don't you find
the clarity and colour so much better?
Yes, as I mentioned above the sound on the vocals does go back to
stereo right at the very end of each (especially noticeable on
headphones). On the "oscilloscope" view of those I captured from this
video disc it is very noticeable. So, it appears to be a deliberate
'flick of the switch' on the part of the film sound technicians and
they were a second or two premature in their 'flick' on both "Deep in
My Heart, Dear" and "I'll Walk With God".
Strange, isn't it? The outtakes from all these numbers which appear on
the (now withdrawn) Rhino MGM CD is in that lovely, wide image stereo
so why drop it to mono in the film mix?
I'm presently attempting to take Ms Blyth's softer passages in the
'middle eight' of this outtake version and replace her almost strident
vocals on the film soundtrack I made available earlier in this thread;
all this being part of my giant, never-ending SP project ;-))
Cheers, Mike
On Jan 22, 3:39 pm, Vince Di Placido <vincent.diplac...@gmail.com>
wrote:
norma
Ann
4Feb.
I tried to order If you were Mine from Fanfaire but they have none
left Any idea how Icould get hold of a
copy/?
Norma
leeann
order: http://www.mario-lanza-institute.org/cd%27s.htm
Perhaps they could help? Or maybe somebody else on this forum is more
familiar with sources than I am. It seems a shame to have a limited
supply of these CDs, that's for sure.
It's been amazing on this forum to find so many individual tracks of
Lanza's different takes of individual pieces and Mike McAdams
remastered versions uploaded over time to 4shared.com--especially with
the benefit of discussion commentary from Derek, Armando, Mike, Tony,
Vince and others. If you haven't already found them, many are still
available on different discussion threads as well as in he Photos and
Recordings section. Just another great resource. Best, Lee Ann
norma
Thanks for your advice.Ithink the Lanza legend
has stopped production.
Best Wishes Norma