Mario Lanza 50th Anniversary Tributes

[Derek McGovern]

Please use this thread for the posting of information about the
various Lanza tribute concerts taking place around the world.

[zsazsa]

Mario Lanza Tribut Concert all over the world in 2009:


Be My Love 50 Years Tribut to Mario Lanza with Mark Janicello. The
concerts take place in Austria (Vienna, Salzburg) and in Munich
Germany.

http://www.markjanicello.net/On%20Tour.htm


Mario Lanza Tribut Concert in Birmingham, Great Britain

http://www.bcu.ac.uk/events/134


The 2 Tenors - A Tribut to Mario Lanza in Weinberg Center of the Arts

http://www.weinbergcenter.org/performanceDetail.asp?PerformanceID=460


Aaron Caruso A Tribut to Mario Lanz in the Weill Recital Hall in
Carnegi Hall NY

http://www.carnegiehall.org/article/box_office/events/evt_15044.html?selecteddate=10022009


Mario Lanza Tribut Concert - The Loveliest Night of the year in Dublin
Ireland

http://www.nch.ie/Box-Office/Performances/Mario-Lanza,-The-Loveliest-Night-of-The-Year-.aspx?date=08/10/2009&time=2000


Hommage aan Mario Lanza in Ostende and Wetteren/Belgie with John Reels

http://www.johnreels.be/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=53


Tribute to Mario Lanza with Alex Bond/Australia

http://alexbondtenor.com/


XIII Festival Internazionale `Omaggio a Mario Lanza` in Filignano
Italy

http://www.comune.filignano.is.it/


Be My Love - An Evening With Mario Lanza in Edinburgh with David
Faulds

http://www.spencerplays.com/


Mario Lanza - Remembering of Mario Lanza in Bad Ischl(Austria

http://www.im-salzkammergut.at/suche/q/gedenken%20an%20mario%20lanza/


Mario Lanza 50th Anniversary Concert in Snug Harbor Cultural Center

http://www.snug-harbor.org/performing_arts/concerts/concerts.html#lanza


And next year 2010 there are also already Concerts, as follows;

The Mario Lanza Show The Loveliest Night of the Year produced by
Annalisa Kerrigan in Australia

http://www.annalisakerrigan.com/cms-general-pages/show-1.phps


The Great American Tenor with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops

http://www.phillypops.com/our-season.php?action=view&id=48

If I find more I`ll of course post here. Best wishes to you all and
have a great day from Susan

[zsazsa]

Sorry I`ve forgotten a very important one and it is as follows:

The Mario Lanza Tribut Concert in Columbus/Ohio in the USA on the 12th
December 2009

http://www.operacolumbus.org/mario_lanza.html
Ciao Susan

On 2 Sep., 20:32, zsazsa <marlan_k...@web.de> wrote:
> Mario  Lanza  Tribut Concert all over the world in 2009:
>
> Be My Love 50 Years Tribut to Mario Lanza with Mark Janicello. The
> concerts take place in Austria (Vienna, Salzburg) and in Munich
> Germany.
>
> http://www.markjanicello.net/On%20Tour.htm
>
> Mario Lanza Tribut Concert in Birmingham, Great Britain
>
> http://www.bcu.ac.uk/events/134
>
> The 2 Tenors - A Tribut to Mario Lanza  in Weinberg Center of the Arts
>
> http://www.weinbergcenter.org/performanceDetail.asp?PerformanceID=460
>
> Aaron Caruso A Tribut to Mario Lanz in the Weill Recital Hall in
> Carnegi Hall NY
>

> http://www.carnegiehall.org/article/box_office/events/evt_15044.html?...

>
> Mario Lanza Tribut Concert - The Loveliest Night of the year in Dublin
> Ireland
>

> http://www.nch.ie/Box-Office/Performances/Mario-Lanza,-The-Loveliest-...

[Derek McGovern]

Thanks for those links, Susan. That's quite a list. The Columbus
concert in December looks promising, and I like the fact that they're
including video clips of Mario as well.

[zsazsa]

Hi Derek,

there is also a write up of Mario Lanza Tributs in the French
Opera Club de Paris MARIO LANZA - Homage de Cinquentenaire - but
unfortunatelly I don`t speack or understand French, so many part of it
I just can not understand, f.e. what they write about Italy and all of
the parts, which are about broadcast or something like that in France.
So maybe you can understand the French lenguage, it would be very
good, as I would like very much to know, what further programms or
concerts take place in France.
Maybe you can help dear Derek, thanks a lot in advance. Here is the
link of the French Club:

http://www.operaclubdeparis-mariolanza.fr/ctn/wordpress/

Ciao for now, have a great and successful day
from Susan

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Susan: Most of the 50-year tribute stuff listed on the French Lanza
Club site is the same as in your links. But there was something about
the first book in French devoted (or dedicated? I'm not sure which; my
French is pretty basic) to Mario Lanza, by Marcel Azencot and Alain
Fauquier, plus a few events in France between 27 August and 10 October
-- and others that hadn't been finalised yet. Maybe one of our French-
speaking members can help you further.

Cheers
Derek

PS I'm very impressed by the choice of track samples included on that
site: the superior 1958 version of 'Na Sera 'e Maggio, the Otello
Monologue, the Improvviso, the Student Prince Serenade, etc; these
people know their singing!!

[zsazsa]

Hi Derek, thank you very much for your help, I thought that you can
understand a little French! It would be also good to know what kind of
of events they have in France between 27 Aug. and 10 Oct. and of
course
have more informations about the book! Do hope that we`ll get
informationen from member, who speaks and understand French.
Yes, I think also that their choise of track samples are really
famous, they
are really knowledgeable people I think! Thanks again Derek.

Cheers from Susan

On 4 Sep., 21:47, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Susan: Most of the 50-year tribute stuff listed on the French Lanza
> Club site is the same as in your links. But there was something about
> the first book in French devoted (or dedicated? I'm not sure which; my
> French is pretty basic) to Mario Lanza, by Marcel Azencot and Alai

[leeann]

Good afternoon. Here goes:

Many events will take place in observing the fiftieth anniversary of
the death of Mario Lanza.

Some have already taken place (Three tenors, Aaron Caruso, Pistoia
venu)

The others are planned: (List)

In Juin 1009, ARTE (a European television network) rebroadcast the BBC
film by Mark Kidel, Singing to the Gods.

The Opera Club of Paris planned lectures illustrated with [music] of
Lanza and other great tenors whom he admired. The first took place
June 20 for the Association's general assembly.

The dates of other other [commemorations[ anticipated in France under
the aegis of the Opera Club will be announced subsequently: the list.

The Opera club has also put together a compilation of twenty titles by
Mario Lanza anticipated for the last (trimester) of 2009, and also the
first book in French dedicated to Mario Lanza by Marcel Azencot and
Alain Fauquier.

All these events will be announced to the public--date and hour.

Awkward syntax, sorry--but the gist is there. Best, Lee Ann

[Derek McGovern]

Thanks for doing that, Lee Ann. It certainly does sound as though a
book *about* Lanza has been written in French. Intriguing. I'm also
curious to know what's on that compilation of 20 Lanza "titles"!
Commercial or non-commercial recordings, I wonder?

Cheers
Derek

[zsazsa]

Hi Lee Ann,

many grateful thanks for your very interesting informations
about the French Club activities, most interesting and please keep on
informing us if there is anything definitive about the French book
and
all of their activities! Thanks a lot in advance and have a great day!

Cheers from Susan

[leeann]

I'll be very glad to stay tuned to L'Opera de Paris and also to hope,
for your sake, that a better translator comes along! I'm okay in one
language or the other and not at all good at translating--moving
between languages. Nonetheless, L'opera club is such an excellent
venue, I
look forward to staying current on their posts and passing along
whatever is helpful. Best, Lee Ann

[zsazsa]

Hi Derek,

Have you heard about a Mario Lanza Musical with Lee Bradley in
England,
the title of the Musical is - Singing to the gods - The Mario Lanza
Musical
and here is the link to read about it dated this year:

http://spotoneventsdirect.blog.co.uk/2009/06/03/lee-bradley-golden-tenor-6231547/

You need to roll down and the last one on the side, curious as I don`t
know if it
was this year played as the article says that it was a smash success!
Please let
us know if you find out more about it. Many grateful thanks!
Cheers

Susan

On 1 Sep., 23:28, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Andrew Bain]

Hello All

Just to let you all know that I have been working on a radio documentary for BBC Radio 2 titled; The Mario Lanza Story. I have co-written and co-produced it and appear briefly in it too. Armando also very kindly talked to us over the wire and he features a lot, because he was fantastic! The documentary is in two thirty minute episodes a week apart at the beginning of Oct. It is narrated by Dame Kiri te Kanawa and I am still waiting for final confirmation of the exact dates. If any of you cannot hear it through the normal channels I'm sure I will be able to access it for you.

I hope that the documentary will be to people's liking, I have tried to ensure that it is as balanced and fair as I can and that it includes some good selections of his recordings. We have obviously covered the controversial aspects of his life but I like to think we have covered them with sensitivity and fairness - I hope you all will agree. We have had some lovely interviews, I have talked to all sorts of people and I am very excited about it.

On a singing note I am also doing a tribute to Mario on 18th Oct at the Chelsea Arts Club in London. I am calling the evening "Laugh Clown Laugh". I hope it to be an insight into the Mario I have discovered through my listening to recordings and interviews, my research for the documentary and my membership of this forum. I don't try to sound like Mario - who could?  But it will a vocal tribute to my inspiration. I have attached a flyer for this evening but am not sure what happens to attachments on here - sorry if I am breaking the rules Derek.

Best wishes

Andrew

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Andrew: This is very exciting news, and I have every confidence
that you've done Lanza proud on this documentary. Having been in the
studio when you were interviewing Armando, I was very impressed by the
intelligence of your questions. (You couldn't have picked a more
knowledgeable person on Lanza to interview either!) Of course, it
makes a huge difference that you're a tenor yourself.

That's a classy touch, by the way, getting Dame Kiri to narrate the
documentary!

Please keep us posted as to how we can hear these broadcasts.

And thanks also for sharing that news about your tribute concert to
Mario on the 18th of October. (Yes, your attachment came through;
that's a stunning poster!!) Please feel free to promote the concert
vigorously on this site. I'd love to know what you're going to be
singing. Is there any chance that it'll be filmed?

Cheers
Derek


On Sep 10, 9:01 am, Andrew Bain <andrew.d.b...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello AllJust to let you all know that I have been working on a radio

> documentary for BBC Radio 2 titled; The Mario Lanza Story. I have co-written
> and co-produced it and appear briefly in it too. Armando also very kindly
> talked to us over the wire and he features a lot, because he was fantastic!
> The documentary is in two thirty minute episodes a week apart at the
> beginning of Oct. It is narrated by Dame Kiri te Kanawa and I am still
> waiting for final confirmation of the exact dates. If any of you cannot hear
> it through the normal channels I'm sure I will be able to access it for you.
> I hope that the documentary will be to people's liking, I have tried to
> ensure that it is as balanced and fair as I can and that it includes some
> good selections of his recordings. We have obviously covered the
> controversial aspects of his life but I like to think we have covered them
> with sensitivity and fairness - I hope you all will agree. We have had some
> lovely interviews, I have talked to all sorts of people and I am very
> excited about it.
>
> On a singing note I am also doing a tribute to Mario on 18th Oct at the
> Chelsea Arts Club in London. I am calling the evening "Laugh Clown Laugh". I
> hope it to be an insight into the Mario I have discovered through my
> listening to recordings and interviews, my research for the documentary and
> my membership of this forum. I don't try to sound like Mario - who could?
>  But it will a vocal tribute to my inspiration. I have attached a flyer for
> this evening but am not sure what happens to attachments on here - sorry if
> I am breaking the rules Derek.
>
> Best wishes
>
> Andrew
>

> On Wed, Sep 9, 2009 at 9:18 PM, zsazsa <marlan_k...@web.de> wrote:
>
> > Hi Derek,
>
> > Have you heard about a Mario Lanza Musical with Lee Bradley in
> > England,
> > the title of the Musical is - Singing to the gods - The Mario Lanza
> > Musical
> > and here is the link to read about it dated this year:
>

> >http://spotoneventsdirect.blog.co.uk/2009/06/03/lee-bradley-golden-te...

>
> > You need to roll down and the last one on the side, curious as I don`t
> > know if it
> > was this year played as the article says that it was a smash success!
> > Please let
> > us know if you find out more about it. Many grateful thanks!
> > Cheers
> > Susan
>
> > On 1 Sep., 23:28, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > Please use this thread for the posting of information about the
> > > various Lanza tribute concerts taking place around the world.
>
>
>

>  Laugh Clown Laugh lowres.jpg
> 811KViewDownload

[Andrew Bain]

Thanks for kind words. Yes I am planning to get it filmed.

Andrew

[Derek McGovern]

Susan wrote:

> Have you heard about a Mario Lanza Musical with Lee Bradley in
> England,
> the title of the Musical is - Singing to the gods - The Mario Lanza

> Musical?

Hi Susan: No, I don't know anything about this musical, nor had I
heard of Lee Bradley until today. After listening to his Torna a
Surriento, I was surprised to read that he was only 24. To my ears, he
sounds much older than that:

http://goldentenor.com/

Cheers
Derek

[Derek McGovern]

Andrew Bain wrote:

> Thanks for kind words. Yes I am planning to get it filmed. Andrew

That's great to hear, Andrew.

I've just taken the liberty of adding your poster to our Photos
section, and, if you like, I'll put it up on our home page a week or
so before your concert. Every little bit of publicity helps!

[Armando]

On Sep 10, 7:01 am, Andrew Bain <andrew.d.b...@gmail.com> wrote:


> On a singing note I am also doing a tribute to Mario on 18th Oct at the
> Chelsea Arts Club in London. I am calling the evening "Laugh Clown Laugh". I
> hope it to be an insight into the Mario I have discovered through my
> listening to recordings and interviews, my research for the documentary and
> my membership of this forum. I don't try to sound like Mario - who could?
>  But it will a vocal tribute to my inspiration. I have attached a flyer for
> this evening but am not sure what happens to attachments on here - sorry if
> I am breaking the rules Derek.

Lovely flyer, Andrew.

In bocca al lupo with your concert!

Armando

[Derek McGovern]

For those of you who aren't familiar with Andrew's beautiful voice,
here's a very interesting introduction:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MRzPwWDOnA

Andrew: If you have any clips that you'd like to share with this forum
-- something operatic, perhaps? -- I'm sure everyone would be
delighted to see/hear them.

[Andrew Bain]

Dear Derek

I do have a recording of me singing the old chesnut Nessun Dorma on this computer. It was about 2 years ago and just done by a friend with basic equipment on a backing track.

I have attached it as an mp4 which I think requires itunes to play it.

Andrew

[Derek McGovern]

Many thanks for that, Andrew! I don't have iTunes here on my home
computer, but it played perfectly on RealPlayer after one false start.

I must say I wasn't expecting such a full, gutsy spinto sound. It's a
treat to hear a true, properly produced operatic voice singing this
aria after all the Russell Watsons of recent years. Great stuff,
Andrew.

[Shawn]

Hey that sounds great. I'm sure Te Kanawa will make a fine host. All
the best for the concert too, look forward to hopefully seeing/hearing
it.

On Sep 9, 5:01 pm, Andrew Bain <andrew.d.b...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello AllJust to let you all know that I have been working on a radio

> documentary for BBC Radio 2 titled; The Mario Lanza Story. I have co-written
> and co-produced it and appear briefly in it too. Armando also very kindly
> talked to us over the wire and he features a lot, because he was fantastic!
> The documentary is in two thirty minute episodes a week apart at the
> beginning of Oct. It is narrated by Dame Kiri te Kanawa and I am still
> waiting for final confirmation of the exact dates. If any of you cannot hear
> it through the normal channels I'm sure I will be able to access it for you.
> I hope that the documentary will be to people's liking, I have tried to
> ensure that it is as balanced and fair as I can and that it includes some
> good selections of his recordings. We have obviously covered the
> controversial aspects of his life but I like to think we have covered them
> with sensitivity and fairness - I hope you all will agree. We have had some
> lovely interviews, I have talked to all sorts of people and I am very
> excited about it.
>
> On a singing note I am also doing a tribute to Mario on 18th Oct at the
> Chelsea Arts Club in London. I am calling the evening "Laugh Clown Laugh". I
> hope it to be an insight into the Mario I have discovered through my
> listening to recordings and interviews, my research for the documentary and
> my membership of this forum. I don't try to sound like Mario - who could?
>  But it will a vocal tribute to my inspiration. I have attached a flyer for
> this evening but am not sure what happens to attachments on here - sorry if
> I am breaking the rules Derek.
>
> Best wishes
>
> Andrew
>

> On Wed, Sep 9, 2009 at 9:18 PM, zsazsa <marlan_k...@web.de> wrote:
>
> > Hi Derek,
>
> > Have you heard about a Mario Lanza Musical with Lee Bradley in
> > England,
> > the title of the Musical is - Singing to the gods - The Mario Lanza
> > Musical
> > and here is the link to read about it dated this year:
>

> >http://spotoneventsdirect.blog.co.uk/2009/06/03/lee-bradley-golden-te...

>
> > You need to roll down and the last one on the side, curious as I don`t
> > know if it
> > was this year played as the article says that it was a smash success!
> > Please let
> > us know if you find out more about it. Many grateful thanks!
> > Cheers
> > Susan
>
> > On 1 Sep., 23:28, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > Please use this thread for the posting of information about the
> > > various Lanza tribute concerts taking place around the world.
>
>
>

[zsazsa]

Hi Derek and All,

here are a few further Mario Lanza Tribut as follows:

Three tenors in Spa… England Tribut in August

http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/whats-on/Still-chance-to-see-orchestra.5594850.jp

Mario Celebration in Coventry:

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/2009/09/07/mario-lanza-fans-set-for-coventry-gathering-92746-24621730/2/

Serenade - Mario Tribut on the 6th of August 2009 with Fernando
Valera in Florida

http://www.thevillagesdailysun.com/articles/2009/07/31/lifestyles/lifestyles01.txt

A rousing Musical `The Magic of Mario Lanza` with Musical Star Denis
Driskill

http://www.rainbowtheatricals.com/

Cheers from Susan

[zsazsa]

Hi All,
Great news:
There will be two `Mario Lanza 50th Anniversary Tribut` programm on
BBC 2 Broadcast on the 5th and 12th October at 11:30 (GMT) both
programms.

Here are the links to the BBC programs

Description: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00n2vw9

To Listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/radio2

The time In the U.S A.:
4:30 pm Eastern time
5:30 pm Central time
6:30 pm Pacific time

Best wishes and cheers from Susan (Zsazsa)

On 12 Sep., 20:37, zsazsa <marlan_k...@web.de> wrote:
> Hi Derek and All,
>
> here are a few further Mario Lanza Tribut as follows:
>
> Three tenors in Spa… England Tribut in August
>

> http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/whats-on/Still-chance-to-see-orchestra...
>
> Mario Celebration in Coventry:
>
> http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/2009/09/07/mario-...

>
>  Serenade - Mario Tribut on the 6th of August 2009 with Fernando
> Valera in Florida
>

> http://www.thevillagesdailysun.com/articles/2009/07/31/lifestyles/lif...

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Susan: Thanks for these links. I'll create a separate discussion
thread for Andrew's BBC programmes in a few days' time, as I'm sure
there'll be many here who would like to comment on them.

Andrew has scored quite a coup here by including the likes of Joseph
Calleja, Jose' Carreras, and Terence Stamp on these programmes, and
I'm delighted that Armando will also be featured. With such a line-up,
I'm very hopeful that, for once, we'll have a documentary on Lanza
that delves more deeply into his actual singing. Can't wait to hear
these programmes!

[Derek McGovern]

The following posts are by Susan. I'm just moving them from the
discussion thread on Andrew Bain's documentary, as they fit in better
here. (I'd prefer to keep this "50th year tributes thread" separate
from the discussion on the radio documentary.)


Hi Derek,
Thanks a lot for your information about the great BBC Programs, they
sound really most interesting, a must to everyone to hear them.

And here are two interesting pieces of news too:

The Austrian TV ORF2 will send a programm on Mario titled Legends:
Mario Lanza on the 4th October:

ORF2 TV Legenden Mario Lanza 4th October 9:35-10:35

http://www.tvinfo.de/sendung/94296192/bilder

http://www.tvinfo.de/sendung/94296192_legenden+mario+lanza/bilder/1


And a new CD is coming out next year titled `The World of Mario Lanza
`. The link for this is below:

http://www.amazon.de/dp/B002AFVP4S?tag=tvinfode-21&camp=2194&creative=7702&linkCode=op1&creativeASIN=B002AFVP4S&adid=0PDM5NXVF83V48HESZCN

It is great that we have a lot to be looking forward to. Have a great
day and cheers from Susan

************************************************************************************************************

Hi All,
Here is another 50th anniversary tribute in Germany:

WDR TV Programm am 6th October 2009, 11:15-12.15 PMo `A Tenor in
Hollywood`

http://www.wdr.de/programmvorschau/object4Broadcast.jsp?broadcastId=3189466

The above is the Mark Kidel BBC Program `Singing to the gods`.
Ciao from Susan

[zsazsa]

Hi All,

here are some more 50th Years Tribut to Mario as follows:

Thomas Booth Remembering Mario Lanza

http://personal.monm.edu/tbooth/LanzaFlyerFront.htm

Mario Lanza Tribut Concert in South Africa

http://www.artzone.co.za/template_level2.asp?parentseq=2498

TOF Theater Orchestra of Florida
Be my Love Remembering the legendary Mario Lanza

http://theatreorchestrafl.com/programs

MARTYNENKO performs OUR FATHER (THE LORD'S PRAYER, PATER NOSTER) by
Albert Hay Malotte in solo recital Tribute to Mario Lanza. St.
Petersburg State University. St. Petersburg, Russia. April...

Mario Lanza Recital by Chris Pucci
http://www.berkeleyfacultyclub.com/flyer/101609.pdf


Here is an interesting Tribut to Mario Lanza from the Kilrush
Golfclub, the link is below to see and read:

http://www.kilrushgolfclub.com/?page_id=628

Cheers and very best to you all from Susan

[zsazsa]

Hi All,

I don`t know if this is the right place to write about it but there is
a new Mario Lanza Cd in France: The Title is `Les Voix d`or` (The
Golden Voice) - Mario Lanza and here is the link:

http://www.franceloisirs.com/Product4/LIVRES/387970/Les-voix-d-or-Mario-Lanza/Lanza-Mario

Best to all and listen tonight the BBC 2 programm, I just can not
wait.
Cheers from Susan

[zsazsa]

Hi All,

here is another Tribut To Mario:

50th Years Tribut to Mario Lanza in Radio Berlin in Germany, with the
title `Schöne Stimmen` (Beautiful Voices) on the 5th October 2009
8.05-9.00 PM (Mittle European Time)

http://www.kulturradio.de/programm/sendungen/091005/schoene_stimmen_2004.html

There is a lovely photo with the German writeup, I`ve seen only
similar of this photo.
All the best to you all from and cheers from Susan

On 5 Okt., 17:21, zsazsa <marlan_k...@web.de> wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I don`t know if this is the right place to write about it but there is
> a new Mario Lanza Cd in France:  The Title is  `Les Voix  d`or`   (The
> Golden Voice) - Mario Lanza and here is the link:
>

> http://www.franceloisirs.com/Product4/LIVRES/387970/Les-voix-d-or-Mar...

[Derek McGovern]

There's a new Lanza thread at grandi-tenori.com today to commemorate
the 50th anniversary of Mario's death. Predictably, one poster
(Pancho) has bemoaned the inclusion of Lanza's name among such
luminaries as Del Monaco and Tucker. But in the first post by grandi-
tenori site owner Joern Anthonisen, there's a link to an interesting
article on Lanza by Richard England. Although I'm a little annoyed
that Armando's book hasn't been credited in the article for the
numerous quotes from singers and conductors whom Armando personally
interviewed (including Di Stefano, whose comment on Lanza from the
back cover of the book has been credited here to Mr England!), I'm
delighted that it obviously served as the chief source for this piece.
There are a few inaccuracies, but otherwise it's a well-written
article. Great comments about the "Mario!" album too, I was pleased to
see:

http://www.grandi-tenori.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=3591&sid=cb7627b07b508f6791608e1e5b192048

There's also another Lanza thread running at grandi-tenori at present.
(I've even made an appearance or two there :-)):

http://www.grandi-tenori.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=3563

[Lover of Grand Voices]

Dear Derek

As always, we owe you a debt of gratitude for helping us keep his
memory fresh and enjoyable. My tribute was in my essay of last year
which is part of our Essays and Reviews on the web site, entitled:
October Seventh.

I congratulate all our friends for compiling the tributes which
demonstrate that Mario's legacy is still flourishing among those who
appreciate the best and the most passionate of musical sounds and
experiences. Now that half a century has passed, it is clear that
Lanza fits into the catagory of the "classics" . Lanza has tested
time, consensus, universal quality and popularity and still inspires
and teaches. Those are the qualities of a true "classic" and it is
why Mario continues to endure not only on these pages but in hearts
and minds across the globe.

E

[Vince Di Placido]

Richard England's writing about "Mario!" was lovely, really liked it.
I was in heaven listening to "Passione" while I was doing that
slideshow on Youtube, I was completely submerged in the song, each
beautiful phrase over & over (that's what happens when you start
editing) it was sublime, it really is pure gold (corny I know, but it
is!) the expressiveness & richness of Mario's voice combined with the
beauty of the song itself & the perfect orchestration is just one of
my favourite things in my life. & Oh! that exhillirating ending...
"E' n'anno, ‘nce pienze ch'è n'anno ca stu’occhie nun ponno cchiù pace
truvà!!!"
It always amazed me that this & "Voce e notte" where never on LP
collections & best ofs when i was growing up, it is absolutely one of
Mario's great recorded moments. If you hear this you have to fall in
love with the Voice...

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Vince: I couldn't agree more about the exclusion of Voce 'e Notte
from all "Best of" collections. It's one of the great ironies of
Lanza's legacy that the only weak track on the entire "Mario!" album,
Funiculi' Funicula', gets rehashed so often while the deserving tracks
are usually ignored. RCA chose this song for the "Best of Mario Lanza"
album, as well as for an earlier compilation album called Great Tenors
Sing Neapolitan Songs, and then Mannering went ahead and picked it for
his BMG UK "Ultimate Collection"! (Talk about wasted opportunities.)

Yes, the Richard England comments on the "Mario!" album are right on
the money albeit curiously familiar :-): "Here, in deep succulent
voice, Lanza carves burnished tones in remarkably restrained
renditions, free of many of his earlier over-emphasized histrionics."

I watched your Passione again on YouTube last night, this time in HQ
(high quality) mode. Very good indeed!! I love what you did (visually)
during the amazing high A at the end. Exhilarating stuff. As I wrote
earlier, it really would make a terrific introduction to Lanza.

Cheers
Derek

[leeann]

Susan, I think this is a new tribute for your compilation here. The
link in the announcement which appeared on a Mario Lanza Fan page on
Facebook (1,156 members) is a Mexican radio station. Unfortunately,
I'm not able to translate! All the best, Lee Ann


Friday, October 16, 2009
Time:
2:05am - 5:05am
Location:
Opus 94.5 FM ó www.imer.gob.mx

7 de octubre de 1959: Mario Lanza murió. Una voz emblemática del cine
musical de Hollywood, pareja musical en La bohème de Puccini con la
mexicana Irma González (RIP), considerado por algunos como el tenor
más importante después de Caruso... Lanza dejó en su corta vida un
legado de pasión musical.
¡No dejen de escucharnos!

[zsazsa]

Hi Lee Ann,
thank you so very much for your new Mario Lanza Tribute in a Mexican
radio station, very happy to hear about it. Unfortunatelly I can not
speak or read Spanish, but maybe some friends here who can speak
Italian could help and translate it roughly, as I understand the
Italians and Spanish people can correspond with each other, as far as
I know. It would be very interesting to know what they write.
Once again many thanks dear Lee Ann, it is always a pleasure to me to
hear Tributs to Mario.
All the best from Susan

I would like let you know that we`ve just arrived back (on the 14th
October) from unforgettable Tributs to the Great Mario Lanza in
England, Birmingham and Stradford on Avon (the famous Shakespeare
town), in Birmingham it was a beautiful Mario Tribut Concert in the
Conservatoir of Birmingham and it was great to see many young people
listening Mario`s life story on the stage with his photos on the
screen and the young singers of the conservatoir were very good who
were singing Mario`s arias and songs. Mario`s only surviving child,
the beautiful Lisa and her husband Bobby attended all the celebrations
and at the end of the concert Lisa was crowded by the young students
over there and wanted to talk to her. It was a wonderful evening in
Mario`s name.
The other great experience took place in the Shakespeare town, where
three great, young singers played honour to Mario, singing for us all
in the organisation of the British Mario Lanza Society by the
president Mrs. Pam Latham, who has done a fantastic job, as the nearly
full day was full with wonderful rememberance of the great Mario and
beautiful singing. The young singers were: Andrew Bain (whom we know
well in this Forum) who makes the great ``Laugh clown, laugh``
concert, giving homage to Mario), David Faulds fron Scottland, who has
done a beautiful Mario Musical Tribut over there in Edinbourgh, both
of these young singers were very, very good, and it was great to see
that they are singing with heart and enjoy to do so. At last but not
least, the soprano was an oper singer from Belgie,named Jasmine Daoud,
who has made the evening a perfect one and worth to the great man,
Mario Lanza, on his 50th Anniversary. Yes, it was just wonderful,
unforgettable and we are more than grateful that we could take part of
these wonderful celebrations in our unforgettable Mario`s memory. Yes,
Lee Ann and All, I could go on and on, but I from this small account
you could immagine the spirit of these great events and it would be
very good if we would hear more about Andrew concert soon, anyway I`ll
let you know if I hear anything about it.

Cheers to you all from Susan

[Derek McGovern]

Susan and Lee Ann: Here's a translation of those comments:

"7 de octubre de 1959: Mario Lanza murió. Una voz emblemática del cine
musical de Hollywood, pareja musical en La bohème de Puccini con la
mexicana Irma González (RIP), considerado por algunos como el tenor
más importante después de Caruso... Lanza dejó en su corta vida un
legado de pasión musical. ¡No dejen de escucharnos!"

"7th October 1959: Mario Lanza died. An emblematic voice of
Hollywood's musical cinema, he was paired in Puccini's La Bohème with
the Mexican Irma González (RIP), and is considered by some the most
important tenor since Caruso. In his short life, Lanza left a legacy
of musical passion. We have not stopped listening to it!"


Of course, in reality, soprano Irma González and Lanza only sang Act
III of La Bohème together. That was a staged production of the entire
act at Tanglewood on July 26, 1942 -- 12 days before Lanza sang the
complete role of Fenton in The Merry Wives of Windsor. RCA's sleeve
notes later claimed that Mario had sung Bohème in its entirety; if
only! (He certainly knew the role of Rodolfo.) But even Miss González
herself gave that impression. In an interview shortly before her death
last year, she said that she had sung one of her first Mimìs with
Mario Lanza (whom she described as "a charming boy, very correct,
likeable with a powerful, beautiful voice").

Thanks for the report on the British Mario Lanza Society get-together,
Susan. It was obviously a great success. I understand there's a chance
that videos from the event may appear on YouTube soon. I'm sure many
here would love to see Andrew Bain's performance.

Speaking of which, Andrew: All the very best for your Laugh Clown
Laugh concert on Sunday! I hope you'll give us a report on how it all
goes, and I look forward to seeing the video!

Cheers
Derek

[zsazsa]

Hi Derek,

thank you very much for your translation, it is really great to know
about the praising words from Mme Gonzàles about Mario`s character and
voice. Yes, Mario was like that with his fantastic voice and his
loveable, charmante character. I was very happy to read your
quotation, thanks a lot.
Like you, I wish Andrew every success with his ``Laugh clown, laugh``
Tribut to Mario and it will be really great to hear and see it in
Youtube, do hope.

Cheers from Susan

[Derek McGovern]

Message from Susan (inadvertently sent to my email rather than to the
forum):

Hi Derek and All,
I don`t know if it is new to you all, but amazon has a mp3 album,
called `Mario Lanza - The 50th Anniversary Collection, there are 40
tracks on it, the link is here:

http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1260210575/ref=sr_pg_2?ie=UTF8&rs=&keywords=mario%20lanza&rh=n%3A!624868011%2Ci%3Adigital-music%2Ck%3Amario%20lanza%2Cp_n_feature_browse-bin%3A625150011&page=2


The other great honour to Mario is, because the great demand, there
will take place a third `Mario Lanza 50th Anniversary Celebration
Concert - The Loveliest Night of the Year` in the National Concert
Hall in Dublin, Ireland, with Sean Costello and others, on the 1ßth
February 2010. The link is here:


http://www.nch.ie/Box-Office/Performances/Mario-Lanza,-The-Loveliest-Night-of-The-Year.aspx?date=10/02/2010&time=2000


It is great to know, that after 50 years, Mario`s memory and legacy is
so vivid and beloved all over the world.

Cheers to you all from Susan

*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

I just clicked on the first of the links that Susan kindly supplied
above, and stumbled upon a bizarre CD titled "Karaoke Mario Lanza"!
You can hear snippets of the tracks, and these are certainly not the
original arrangements. In fact, I can't even recognize the melody of A
Kiss :-)

Here's a link to a nice promotional piece for the Opera Columbus
tribute taking place this Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. I smiled at the
reference to (grumpy) Goldovsky revering Mario's voice :-) And I loved
this: "We dismiss Lanza at our own peril."

http://www.wosu.org/blogs/classical/?p=7081

[Derek McGovern]

We haven't heard from Andrew Bain on this forum for a very long time, and I've been wondering if the videos of his "Laugh, Clown, Laugh" tribute concert to Lanza last October might one day show up on YouTube. I know that the concert was filmed. Andrew: if you're reading this, is there any chance of seeing a clip or two?!

(For newer members, here's an introduction to this fine tenor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MRzPwWDOnA)