Why Does Mario Lanza Matter?
Lover of Grand Voices
still echoes in the minds and memories of millions. He still
inspires, educates, gives pleasure, communicates and touches hearts as
few of his calling could. Many tenors left us lovely records of their
work and many give us feelings of warmth and touched us with their
special tones and special ways of caressing their music. Most were
specialists who perfected classical singing and a few tried to reach
out to a broad and undefined public by crossing the deep and dangerous
divide between the lyrical and the popular. Nearly all fell in the
chasm but a rare few rose to give us more that we could expect from a
tenor trained in Verdi and Leoncavallo. Such was the legacy of Lanza.
He matters because he excelled in fields filled with mines like the
screen of silver, the global concert tours and the dive into popular
recordings. When his life was snuffed out, those who inherited his
legacy found a voice ringing with passion, bordering on perfection
that could crossover from Rigoletto to My Fair Lady and leap from
Othello to Gershwin and Cole Porter.
Does Lanza matter today? Yes. Tributes and words surrounding the
world yesterday are testimonies that he matters more now to a new
generation than he did fifty years ago. A new legion of music lovers
need to understand what he gave, what he offered, and what he left
that still inspires the young to risk all to go into the world of
opera and sing like he did.
So I ask all those who ponder as I do, "Why Does Mario Lanza Matter?"
Derek McGovern
on "reply" to *this* post (as opposed to Emilio's post), since the
Google system doesn't allow replies to posts that are more than 60
days old. Hope that makes sense!
Cheers
Derek
leeann
Your post is a beautiful beginning to this thread. I'm snowed under
with exams and work projects, but would very much look forward to
joining in in a few days. Best, Lee Ann
Joseph Fagan
your OWN answer is very moving and appropriate to your powerful
question. ...so allow me give you a few of my thoughts.
Lanza is important to us and to the world because he brings us
sonething absolute: A passion and beauty that is timeless and one that
always will be there for us. So many things in our world today are
fleeting or temporary....we all need something to hang on to. His
gifts are always there for us no matter what else is troubling our
world. Some of his diamonds have flaws, true enough, but they are all
precious gems whose value only increases....and they are always
available to brighten our moods or to console our troubles. Other
singers have come and gone, others may follow to be compared...... but
Mario will always persist. His voice has become a standard by which we
measure vocal beauty. He nourishes our spirit and he important to all
that is beautiful.
Jan Hodges
|
Why does Mario Lanza matter? Let's put it succinctly.
1 He had a voice beyond compare.
2. His interpretive skills were outstanding. Who else can move so many to tears and tug at the heart strings as we feel his emotion.
3 He had the number one prerequisite of a singer..excellent diction.. We can always hear the words of the story
4. His vocal skills were such that he could successfully sing any type of song from Grand Opera to Pop and everything in between.
5 He has inspired so many successful and not so successful singers through 6 decades.
6 He was handsome and charismatic.
7 He is unique....has there ever been another singer quite like him?
Jan | |||
|
|
Maria Luísa
give my little contribution to this ever actual subject. My goodness,
Mario matters because his voice is of such magnetism, power and beauty
that I do not think, for as many great tenors there were and are, that
there is or were a single one with such qualities all put together in
one person alone. Anyone as little sensitive as he may be, cannot stay
indifferent before such beauty when listening to him. Besides Mario
Lanza was a very beautiful man with immense charisma which makes him,
together with all his other rare qualities, a tenor apart. Mario Lanza
was unique. There will never be another voice like his. Nor a man, for
that matter.
> faint_grain.jpg
> 1KViewDownload
zsazsa
yesterday I was listening Mario`s fabulous Student Prince cd of the 5
Cd Mario Lanza Original Album Classics and listening to it, brings me
to the following answers to Emilio`s great question: `Why Does Mario
Lanza Matte?`:
1.) Because in this music cacophony of today, Mario`s legacy overtune
the noise and help opera, great music to survive.
2.) Because his legacy is unique.
3.) Because his voice communicates with its listeners.
4.) Because his magical voice and immortal charisma inspiring the
singer generations all over the world.
5.) Because his communicative singing brings the best human feelings
of his listeners onto the surfice.
6.) Because his voice, his singing is the measure for all singers that
want to reach or at least get near to it.
7.) Because his voice, his legacy is just divine, enduring.
Thanks for listening and Sempre per Mario. Best to you all from Susan
Lover of Grand Voices
is clear that we believe that he is the "benchmark" and, as Joe said,
has become a "standard" by which to measure other voices. Each time I
listen to a tenor or even a tenor who is crossing over into popular
music, I use my own "Lanza Scale" to compare him to what I consider
the best. You have all articulated it beautifully, the diction, the
passion, the clarity and perfection of interpretation, the stage
presence and the charisma and good looks that great entertainers bring
to their public. When I listen to Lanza I feel the emotion and the
pleasure he tried to send us and, more importantly, his message. His
interpretation conveyed the feelings and sensations of the song
writers.
I am happy that this site and others exist with the hope that a new
generation will learn what we have learned. Regards, Emilio
Derek McGovern
in 1999, gets to the nub of the matter:
"Lanza's voice is rich, ripe, unmistakable. A huge column of spinto
sound, it mixes Italianate ardor with a very American brightness --
and perhaps this is one of the secrets of his enormous appeal. Lanza
was a first-generation Italian-American, and he succeeded in blending
and enhancing the attributes of the old world with the enthusiastic
optimism of the new. There is a joy in his voice that radiates a pure
love of singing, a heart held wide open to an audience. To hear
Lanza's records is to fall willing prey to his power. His films --
such as Serenade, which shows what he could do in everything from
L'Arlesiana to Otello -- make it clear that the world lost a fine
singing actor when he died. There has never been another American
tenor with such an astonishing concentration of gifts.
"Arturo Toscanini dubbed Lanza 'the greatest natural voice of the
twentieth century.' Time has not done much to alter that assessment."
Bravo, Mr. Myers!
leeann
snowfalls. Probably not smarter or wiser, but definitely colder! So
many interesting thoughts on this thread. I'm just going to piggyback
on Derek's quotes from Eric Myers. I particularly love the statements
"Italianate ardor with a very American brightness" and "he succeeded
in blending and enhancing the attributes of the old world with the
bring a couple of things to mind in addition to the heartfelt reasons
people have already posted.
I kind of think the wrong singer is associated with the song, "I Did
It My Way." There was nothing conventional about Mario Lanza
throughout his career from his extraordinary response to early
operatic training to his increasingly adept amalgamation of vocal
technique with the intensity of his own, personal musical and dramatic
sense.
He's important because he so clearly flew in the face of the
conventions of his day, clearly often made professional decisions (or
didn't make decisions) that defied common sense, and clearly worked
with a great many people who weren't smart enough or creative enough
or whatever really to know what to do with that talent embodied in an
unconventional (and probably headstrong) individual. I think all
these things matter about Mario Lanza very much, and that having a fix
on his life helps us to understand the history of his time.
They matter--and he matters--because interestingly (and this is a
generalization that's really arguable), if you think about it--there's
perhaps a dividing line between how most people remember singers on
the top-forty charts and how they remember operatic singers. We
remember Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, the Beatles, for example, for
their songs and the impact they had as mega-performers. At first,
however, we tend to remember Caruso, DiStefano, Domingo, simply for
the kind of music they sang. It's different. But the first thing you
almost always read or hear about Mario Lanza--whether people know him
for Christmas Carols, movies, neapolitan songs, or arias--it's not the
song they mention first--it's the voice and how it makes them feel.
When you have a voice that reaches so many people so emotionally, you
have someone who matters, and who he is and how he fits into his
times is tremendously important. Representing his life, this body
of work, and his legacy with intelligence, honesty, and dignity is
tremendously important. Eric Myers seems to be among those who hit it
square on the head. Best, Lee Ann
zsazsa
nobody could put the great importance of Mario Lanza and his legacy
into words. Your descriptions about this most important topic are
really highly treasured. Everybody should read them.
Have a great Xmas, we`ll surely be together in our thoughts during the
season time, listening to our great Mario`s glorious voice.
Cheers Susan
Maria Luísa
post - because, even or especially at this sacred season, his songs,
whichever be played, give an atmosphere of peace and happiness in the
house that are rarely found in other singers or tenors, with a few
exceptions. Listening to Mario Lanza is listening to a voice from
another dimension, is in fact listening to some sort of a god. Which
he truly was, a god of the songs in his own right.
To those who celebrate Christmas I wish a Very Happy one and a
Prosperous New Year.
Derek McGovern
be "highly treasured." Brilliant, thought-provoking stuff. (I'll post
a reply when I have time to do your post justice, Lee Ann.)
And since it's already the evening of December 24th here in New
Zealand, I'd like to echo Susan's and Luísa's warm wishes to you all
for Christmas and beyond.
zsazsa
There is a very beautiful article, titled `The Tenor who put America
in an opera box.`, here is the link, with this article I would like to
wish you all a very happy and prosperious New Year, 2010.
http://fredericksburg.com//News/FLS/2009/102009/10082009/495968?rss=local
Sempre per Mario.
Cheers Susan
On 24 Dez. 2009, 05:09, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com>
wrote:
zsazsa
and here is another link about, that CPTV brings the Mario Documentary
`Singing to the Gods` today at 11:30 AM.
http://www.cpbn.org/program/hooray-for-hollywood-new-years-2010
and here is another link about, Mario`s `The Great Caruso` will be
shown, as first musical-biographies, beginning the year. Yes, this
year starts pretty good. Isn`t it.
http://knox.villagesoup.com/ae/story/musical-biographies-begin-the-year/297332
Ciao from Susan
On 24 Dez. 2009, 05:09, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com>
wrote:
Lover of Grand Voices
when "The Golden Voice" was stilled. I am pleasantly surprised at his
reach which extends from decade to decade as new forms of
communication come about. Who would have expected ten years ago that
there would be hundreds of his performances spread out across the
universe via the internet? I have still not seen all of the
performances captured on You Tube and now other sites are springing up
with his work. I am also pleasantly surprised by his influence with
new singers. Josh Groban is quoted as saying that he was inspired by
Lanza. Last night, Italian TV had a special on Pavorotti who said
that all he ever wanted to be was Mario Lanza.
I have introduced Lanza to my grand daughter and other members of my
family. If a three year old can be mesmerized by a voice from heaven,
than that voice certainly matters.
Happy New Year and happy decade.
On Jan 1, 8:03 am, zsazsa <marlan_k...@web.de> wrote:
> Hi All again,
> and here is another link about, that CPTV brings the Mario Documentary
> `Singing to the Gods` today at 11:30 AM.
>
> http://www.cpbn.org/program/hooray-for-hollywood-new-years-2010
>
> and here is another link about, Mario`s `The Great Caruso` will be
> shown, as first musical-biographies, beginning the year. Yes, this
> year starts pretty good. Isn`t it.
>
> http://knox.villagesoup.com/ae/story/musical-biographies-begin-the-ye...
zsazsa
I don`t know if I put this news in the right place, please Derek put
it somewhere where it is o.k. thanks in advance.
Tomorrow, the 24th January, Mario`s BBC Documentary, `Singing to the
Gods` will be shown on one of the German TV chanels, called NDR (North
German Broadcast). This is the 5th time, that this documentary will be
shown in a German TV. The Chanel ARTE (a French and German
coproduction chanel) showed it already 3 times, the WDR (West German
Broadcast) showed it on the 6th October 2009, and now the NDR.
It is always good to know that the world will never forget him.
Ciao from Susan