Miscellaneous Lanza-related questions/comments (March-May 2012)
Derek McGovern
Steff
Derek McGovern
What a curious thing! I wouldn't have thought there was anything particularly special about the arrangement of "Silent Night" that Mario sings, but I do know that Joseph Calleja absolutely adores the CD Christmas with Mario Lanza (which features the 1951-56 recordings of carols). He once sang "O Holy Night" on German TV in tribute to Lanza.
Incidentally, the forthcoming Calleja Lanza Tribute CD will probably include several songs sung in the same arrangement as Mario recorded them. At least, that's what Decca was planning.
I'm annoyed, by the way, that Stephen Mercurio's on board as the conductor. He's done nothing but patronize Lanza in interviews for the last ten years, and I still haven't forgiven him for claiming that Mario couldn't be heard in a 3000-seat auditorium! Let's hope Calleja puts him straight!
Cheers
Derek
Derek McGovern
I'm not sure mention was made in the Forum of the May, 2011 Lanza CD,
Nessun Dorma which has two CDs of Italian and English performances.
If this has been discussed and reviewed than please excuse me. More
importantly, has anyone listed to this album and has comments? It is
"remastered" in any way? Emilio
Ciao Emilio: I actually hadn't heard of that CD, so I looked it up on amazon.co.uk:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nessun-Dorma-Greatest-Mario-Lanza/dp/B004P05O3O/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1331687442&sr=1-1
Yes, I'm sure it's yet another bootleg release. I don't think Sony has any subsidiary labels by the dubious name of "Zyx" :) The sound is a bit harsh from what I can tell on the sample snippets offered at Amazon, though the selections themselves aren't too bad (compared with some compilations I've seen!). For example, they've opted---probably accidentally :)---for the Mario! album versions of things like "Santa Lucia Luntana" and "Dicitencello Vuie," and they chose the glorious RCA "Che Gelida Manina," and not the galloping Coke rendition. But what on earth possessed them to go straight from the immortal Student Prince "Serenade" into the awful "September Song" from Lanza on Broadway? Talk about going from the sublime to the ridiculous...
Cheers
Derek
Derek McGovern
Nick: Remembering that your favourite Lanza movie (vocally) is Serenade, I got a real kick from your facial mannerisms as you mimed to "Tell Me, Oh Blue Blue Sky":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMLD4yEt9Wg&context=C4d653b4ADvjVQa1PpcFO8BvlGWGAPu3C9sMxw6YmY2iJAOnSa3u0=
At times you really did remind me of Mario. It was uncanny. Great job of lip-synching, and I bet you felt exhausted at the end of it!
Cheers
Derek
Steff
Hi Derek,
I spotted those you-tube videos of Nick (I think, his friend Stoltapaura "promotes" him on you-tube - and right so) when they just had been put on yout-tube few weeks ago, and I had kind of "déja vu," then, instantly recalling this picture of Mario (couldn't spot it on your gallery):
Steff
Hi Derek, speaking about "Silent Night" I just remember, that tenor Noah Stewart's (he won the first place in the 2008 Mario Lanza vocal competition) first CD, which will be released on March 26, will also include this Christmas Carol. There must be something fascinating about this song to even have it on a non-Christmas CD.
Steff
Unfortunately, I cannot get hold of a particular article in its entirety from the “High Fidelity,” Volume 22, 1972, which I understand, is about the Italian soprano Katia Ricciarelli, so I hope in posting the following snippet I do not take anything out of its context:
“[…] Viewers identified with Ricciarelli’s struggles, exulted in her victory, and gloried in the radiance that descended on her head. For many Italians Ricciarelli is the most famous high-class singer since Mario Lanza. Like Lanza she is as much a person as a vocalist, the focus of certain human hopes and fears, and one of the vulnerable, and therefore cherishable, elect.”
A quite interesting remark, don't you think?
Steff
Derek McGovern
I've always found Ricciarelli a bit hit and miss as a singer, and, sadly, her vocal prime didn't last that long, but I love her Mimi' on a 1979 recording of Boheme with Carreras---and I also thought she was a fine Desdemona in Franco Zeffirelli's 1987 Otello film.
Cheers
Derek
Steff
From:
"Violinist instrumental in creating orchestra"
Does anybody know, when did Thomas Mancini work with Mario Lanza?
Steff
Joseph Fagan
Nick
Thank you so much for your kind comments, I never expected the video
would end on a Lanza forum!
I've never been away, from time to time I still visit the forum and
read some interesting stuff about Mario :)
Derek, could you send me the two other Lanza forums? I am curious
about the posts, I will comment also there..
Take care ever everyone,
Ciao ciao ciao
Nick
On 14 mrt, 13:43, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I see that the other two Lanza forums have been all in a twitter lately
> over a couple of lip-synching-to-Lanza YouTube offerings by Nick S., our
> youngest member (at 18). It seems they're already petitioning the Hollywood
> studios for him to play the role of Mario in a biography :)
>
> Blue Blue Sky":
>
Lover of Grand Voices
known to the over 60 group. It is a big one. Italy has one of the
highest elderly populations. Sometimes I find a CD of his in one of
the music stores but it is rare. It is not impossible but rare.
What we need to do is make more young people aware of Mario and his
extraordinary talent. I try to do this constantly. Italy is a
perfect place for this to happen. Language is a barrier up to a
point. Once they know of him and hear his Italian singing, everything
changes.
I find that young people who are introduced to Mario are amazed and
surprised no matter where they are from. They hear the passion in his
voice. They hear and feel something special. I tell them his story
and his comet like rise to fame and his enormous contribution to being
able to crossover from lyric opera to popular singing, flawlessly and
beautifully.
Those of us who love Mario Lanza, need to reach out to a new
generation in as many ways as possible. They should have the
privilege of enjoying his marvelous voice. You Tube helps. This site
helps. We need to do more.
Regards from Rome, Emilio
On Mar 15, 9:26 am, Joseph Fagan <jorain...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Derek raises an interesting thought: How does the popularity of Lanza in
> was his place of birth. This is especially true for people under 60 yrs old.
>
>
> > From:
>
> > *
> >http://www.mydesert.com/article/20120315/NEWS01/203140364/Violinist-i...
> > *<http://www.mydesert.com/article/20120315/NEWS01/203140364/Violinist-i...>
gary from NS
Derek McGovern
Cheers
Derek
Steff
Please have a look at this blog post:
http://piowordstotheheart.blogspot.de/2012/03/167.html
"Pio's Proverb 168: Mario Lanza quote: "to be a Transmitter of Beauty!"
Derek McGovern
Cheers
Derek
Vincent Di Placido
Hills of Rome" & noticed this website offers full screen and
widescreen versions of these films...
http://shop.vendio.com/supersounds/item/841553456/index.html
I was wondering if any of you had ever purchased this particular
edition, my hunch is that it might be a laserdisc transfer? Curiosity
had the better of me as I just ordered both films... I hope I am not
too disapointed...
Derek McGovern
Has either of these films ever been shown on TCM in widescreen? (I don't have access to that channel here in Korea.) If so, that could also be the source of these DVDs.
It's strange that neither film has been officially released yet. All of Mario's films were supposedly coming out on DVD by the end of 2011---at least, that's what I was led to believe about this time last year. I'm keeping an eye on Critics' Choice, though, as that's where they normally first appear.
Fingers crossed that I'm wrong about the source of those DVDs, Vince!
Cheers
Derek
Steff
Any comments to the following?
by Lawrence Perry, New York
We saw Mario Lanza at Radio City Music Hall taking a sneak audition of his portrayal of Enrico Caruso. He listened to a magnificent tenor that is sure. Yet, a distinguished Metropolitan Opera House singer told us that if Mario doesn’t look out he is going “to blow his top” in other words, damage his voice.
Whether, said the critic, he is putting on pressure through excitement of singing on the screen for a vast public, or whatever reason, he is dangerously forcing his beautiful voice, instead of letting it pour.
His reckless use of his larynx can be remedied, said our admiring and friendly critic – and Mario had better start on the task (from the Sunday World-Herald, August 19, 1951
Steff
Armando
That’s utter nonsense, Steff. The distinguished Metropolitan Opera House singer and admiring and friendly critic clearly mistook intensity and involvement with forcing. Furthermore, was he aware that he was listening to a pre-recorded soundtrack?
There are a number of factors that can result in damaging the larynx- among them: improper breath control, which causes tension in the throat, incorrect attack on the high notes known as coup de glotte and singing heavier roles not suited to one’s voice. None of these applied to Lanza since he used proper diaphragmatic support, sang with the larynx slightly lowered than when speaking, (which is the correct way) and attacked the high notes square on- just listen to the Albert Hall recording for some good examples.
A pity Perry didn’t name the Met singer.
Steff
Savage
Derek McGovern
I agree that there's no lyric tenor singing today with Fritz' combination of passion & intelligence and beauty of voice.
Cheers
Derek
Steff
I spotted this comment of Roberto Alagna in the July 2002" Gramophone" issue and wonder what our experts here have to comment on this. Being a non-expert but "only" a lover of music I would have thought that the dramatic role of Otello by all means requires a dark tenor voice as we know it from Lanza or Domingo. Maybe I am wrong?
"I suggest that now that he has sung Manrico people will be expecting Otello; can he manage the darkness of voice for that? 'Otello is already planned, a little later. I promised my late teacher that I would not sing it until I was 40, and that will be my age in 2003. But Otello doesn't really need a dark tenor voice. If Verdi had wanted a dark voice he'd have made Otello a baritone, and lago a tenor. I think - if you read through the part, with all those piani, pianissimi, legati, mezza voce and so on - he wanted to portray a vulnerable character, so a tenor, but one with a clear voice, to contrast with the dark, satanic quality of lago: Otello's voice must be luminous. Tamagno, who created the role, had a very clear voice, with a brilliant timbre, but above all clear: he sang Bellini's Pollione in Norma, he sang Donizetti's Poliuto. In fact the one thing that Verdi wasn't entirely happy with in Tamagno's performance was the love duet, because he couldn't provide the sort of ardent, romantic manner that he wanted. As I said before, it's dangerous to specialise, to restrict yourself. We should always stretch our capacities and possibilities. I don't think my voice is changing so much as I am changing, and in all directions: my taste is changing, my way of doing things, and more and more I like challenges'."
leeann
Michael McAdam
Hi Steff:
Steff
Hi Mike,
Derek McGovern
Is there any realistic hope that someday, somewhere some new recordings of Mario might be unearthed? Matt Minzer from the Rense forum mentioned that he has every recording ever made by Lanza, including some made at private parties in Mario’s earlier days @ Belair-Hollywood. I had never thought of that! Recordings from private parties. While tape recorders back then were big, crude and expensive, they nevertheless did exist. Could it be? Why wouldn’t someone who had such gems come forth? I am sure recordings could be cleaned up and enhanced with today’s technology. Just wondering out loud! I assume there are no treasures left in any of the recording studios either, or there would be a recording log of it. Well, one can always hope!
Joe: There is always the chance that new recordings may turn up. For one thing, there are numerous outtakes sitting around in vaults at MGM, Warner Bros. and RCA. But I seriously doubt that Matt Minzer is privy to recordings that we don't have.
By the way, don't forget that our discography lists every known Lanza recording, and even separates them by genre:
http://www.mariolanzatenor.com/discography.html (operatic recordings)
http://www.mariolanzatenor.com/italian-and-neapolitan-song-recordings.html (Italian & Neapolitan songs)
http://www.mariolanzatenor.com/english-recordings.html (English songs)
http://www.mariolanzatenor.com/latin-french-spanish-recordings.html (Latin/French/Spanish)
Derek McGovern
JOE
A “Remake” of the movie Serenade
I know the following is unrealistic, so you just have to excuse my untethered imagination again! What would you think of a re-make of this film using a nice looking Italian-looking male to play Damon, and of, course, using Mario’s voice? The icy Joan Fountaine would be substituted by someone with a little more warmth and sex appeal. Moreover, the script would be written to actually develop and show Damon’s infatuation with the femme fatale. This movie just has so much potential. I believe a remake, with proper marketing, (and editing to shorten) could be successful. I would stick in “Granada” in one of the Mexican scenes and I would also hire Derek to re-write the ending! I bet it would work! But, alas, such will never happen. My question to the forum is this: Would you go see such a film?
Steff
I see Juan Diego Flórez has included “Be My Love “ into his concert repertoire.
Here’s a review from his Royal Albert Hall concert on May 8:
“Judging by his reception from a near-capacity crowd, superstar status cannot be far off.
Yet he showed little desire to make his programme overtly populist, a sidestep into Lehár and the Mario Lanza staple Be My Love in the second half notwithstanding."http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/may/09/juan-diego-florez-review
Here’s a you-tube video of Flórez singing “Be My Love” at the Theatre Des Champs Elysee in Paris on
May 5, shortly before his RAH recital:
Derek McGovern
renowned high note specialist---avoided going up at the end. (I really
thought he was going to take the note too.) It really is a formidable
piece to sing, and will ever belong to Lanza.
Barnabas Nemeth
Derek McGovern
Lanza, of course, makes the whole thing sound so (relatively) easy. It may not have been his best high C on the commercial version (the Coke ending---though not the rest of that recording---was better), but it's a thrilling and beautiful rendition nonetheless.
Cheers
Derek (disappearing back into his lair :))
zsazsa
On Sunday, May 13, 2012 2:55:45 PM UTC+2, Barnabas Nemeth wrote:
Flores may be an excellent Rossini or Mozart tenor but he is not in the same league in singing Mario's songs. In general he is an average singer in my view. Sorry.
zsazsa
Barnabas Nemeth
Steff
It’s always nice to see that not only male singers have been inspired by the voice of Mario Lanza, but also female singers. On March 11th, 2012, there was an interview with the American soprano Helen Donath published in the “Lübecker Nachrichten”. It took place on the occasion of Mrs. Donath’s starting to give master classes at the “Musikhochschule Lübeck” (she’s supported by her husband Klaus). Like in another interview (see below) from a few years ago, Mrs.Donath said that it was because of Mario Lanza that she became a singer.
This latest interview is titled “Ich wollte immer nur Sängerin werden“(I always wanted to be but a singer“):
http://www.ln-online.de/lokales/luebeck/3441537/ich-wollte-immer-nur-saengerin-werden
„Meine Mutter hat mich an Sonntagen nach der Kirche immer ins Kino geschickt, dort habe ich dann all die großen Musical-Filme gesehen , „Annie get your Gun“ und wie sie alle hießen“, erzählt Helen Donath. Sie stammt aus Corpus Christi in Texas, wenn man ihr glauben darf, einer der kulturell am tiefsten stehenden Orte der gesamten USA. Aber auch in Corpus Christi geschehen manchmal wundersame Dinge: „Eines Sonntags lief im Kino ‚ The Great Caruso‘ mit Mario Lanza in der Hauptrolle. Von da an wollte ich Sängerin werden und nichts anderes.“ Und das wurde Helen Donath dann auch. In Deutschland begann sie ihren Weg als Opernsängerin, bevor sie dann Erfolge in aller Welt feierte.
„On Sundays, after going to church, my mother would send me to the cinema where I watched all the great musical films, “Annie Get Your Gun” and all the others”, tells Helen Donath. She was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, which is, according to her, one of the places with the lowest cultural input throughout America. But even in Corpus Christi, miracles sometime happen: “Once, on a Sunday, they showed “The Great Caruso” with Mario Lanza playing the title role. Ever since then I wanted to become an opera singer, nothing else.” And that’s what Helen Donath became. She started her career as an opera singer in Germany before she celebrated successes all over the world.”
A few years back, Helen Donath mentioned the following in an interview at the “Bayerischer Rundfunk” (from July 2005):
„Das Einzige, was ich wirklich kann, ist singen. Und wenn ich nicht Sängerin geworden wäre, dann weiß ich nicht, was aus meinem Leben geworden wäre. Denn das ist wirklich alles, was ich kann. Wie gesagt, Sonntags nach der Kirche hat mich meine Mutter immer ins Kino gesteckt. Damals konnte man für 25 Cent ins Kino gehen: und zwar von mittags um 12.00 Uhr bis abends um 21.00 oder 22.00 Uhr. Danach hat mich meine Mutter wieder abgeholt. Ich habe dort "Annie get your gun" oder "My fair Lady" usw. gesehen. Ich habe dort all Als ich knapp 14 Jahre alt war, kam auf einmal ein Film mit dem Titel "Der große Caruso" mit Mario Lanza ins Kino: Da saß ich im Kino und war wirklich wie vom Schlag getroffen. Ich war mesmerized.
Diese Musik wurde jedenfalls von diesem Tag an zu meinem Leben. Mario Lanza hatte einen unglaublichen Ausdruck. Er konnte die Arien von Caruso so vollendet singen, dass ich mich gefragt habe: "Was ist das? Das möchte ich auch können!" Ich ging sofort zu meiner Mutter und bettelte: "Mama, bitte, bitte, bitte kauf mir dieses Album!" Das waren damals noch diese 78er-Platten, die "schnellen" Schallplatten, also keine 33er.
Nun, es war dann so, dass ich mittels dieser Platte sämtliche Tenorarien phonetisch
nachgesungen habe. Ich war sehr stolz darauf und sagte: "Diese Arien werde ich
später alle selbst auf der Bühne singen!" Nicht wissend, dass das praktisch gar
nicht erlaubt ist. Aber so ganz allmählich darf man das als Frau.“
“The only thing I am good at, is singing. If I hadn’t become a singer, I don’t know, what would have become of me. It’s really the only thing I am good at. As I mentioned before, on Sundays, after going to church, my mother would send me to the cinema. At that time, you only paid 25 cent when going to the cinema, from noon until in the evening at about 9 or 10 p.m. After the cinema my mother would collect me. I watched “Annie Get Your Gun” or “My Fair Lady” etc. I watched all those beautiful musicals there.
When I was almost 14 years old, a film was coming to the cinemas title “The Great Caruso” starring Mario Lanza: Here I was, sitting in the cinema, and I was blown away. I was mesmerized […]. From this moment on, the music became my life. Mario Lanza possessed an incredible expressiveness. He could sing Caruso arias so perfectly that I asked myself: “What’s that? I want to be able to do this myself!” I immediately went to my mother and begged her: “Momma, please, please, buy me this album!” At that time, we had those 78-records, the “fast” ones, not the 33-records […].
Well, eventually, with this record I learned all the tenor arias phonetically. I was very proud and said: I am going to sing all those arias myself later on stage!” I didn’t know that virtually this wasn’t allowed. Yet slowly but surely, even women are allowed to sing them.”
Just in addition, I spotted the following (from ‘Opera’ July 2010 issue):
http://www.exacteditions.com/read/opera/july-2010-7243/6/3?dps=
“The first touring vocalist encountered by the 14-year-old Helen, only recently converted to the classical idiom through Mario Lanza’s records, had been George London. Overcoming awe, she went back to meet him, acceded to his request for a demonstration with a full-voiced ‘Vesti la giubba’ à la Lanza and – flustered when he (understandably) asked what kind of singer she was, darted a look at his programme and answered, ‘I’m a lady-baritone’. Seven years later, she encountered the ever-supportive London onstage in Stuttgart as Wellgunde in ‘Das Rheingold’ which is now available on CD’s”
Steff
zsazsa
Steff
Hi Susan, when reading your “one cannot forget the mother language” I immediately had to recall this you-tube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EOtLDdQF1g
It’s Jarmila Novotna singing Olympia’s aria (from Offenbach’s “Tales of Hofmann”) in German language, and after finishing the aria she says (in German): “Ich singe am liebsten in meiner Muttersprache” (I like to sing in my mother tongue) and she repeats this comment in Czech.
Steff
Tony Partington
Hi Steph. Great work on the costume prints. They are wonderful. After reading your post about Alanga and the possibility of him doing Otello, I just had to weigh in as it is my favorite opera and tenor role. I, of course, have never sung it nor will I - at least not in this lifetime - but I have sung some excerpts in concert and I daresay I shall remain fixated upon the role and opera long after I stop performing. As for Alanga; I like his voice alright and certainly he seems to be an intelligent artist. I saw a TOSCA of his I thought pretty good, but I must be truthful and tell you I just cannot see him having the command, the strength to succeed in the part on stage. Perhaps a recording, like Pavarotti did, but on stage..... I just don' t think so. It is no so much the voice, it's the ability to pull it off theatrically. Never mind that he's a short man, so was Lanza, so is Vickers and those two, in my opinion are Otellos. I know one is for sure because I saw his magnificent performance at the Met. As for Mario, I know we speculate, but I think we all know the real truth. If he'd straightened himself out, stuck with it, by 1961 or 1962 he'd have owned the role.
Ah, well. Just a few random thoughts as my wife and I drive down to Florida. The best to all.
Ciao - Tony
zsazsa
Barnabas Nemeth
Can you recall the days when in the early and mid 60's there were Mario Lanza Concerts organized in the Kolcsey House of Culture in Rakoczy Square, even advertised in trams? I have attended them several times. There were a sizeable picture of ML displayed on the stage and sold photos and other pieces. People applauded after every song.
Tony Partington
Tony
Steff
zsazsa
Steff
I am sure everybody remembers the scene from “For the First Time” when Mario sings “Come Prima”.
There’s a group of young girls surrounding him, asking him to sing a song. Among the girls there’s a very tall one, with long, blond hair. Her real name was Nico (not sure right now if she was credited in the film). Nico (1938-1988) was German; her real name was Christa Päfgen.
Her role was just a cameo in “For the First Time:”
Girl: Mr Costa, how about a song?
Lanza: Oh, I can’t, you see I’m here incognito.
Nico: You mean you can’t sing for us not even one little song?
Girl: Sure he can!
Nico’s life ended very tragically.
I once wrote an article about her for a British newsletter, and not long ago, I spotted this very detailed biography of her with pictures and film footage:
Steff
Steff
I understand that „For the First Time” is being released on DVD on June 19, 2012:
http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/movies/label_extra_john_wayne_japanese_LNiwbhiiUHt0QhKXbqN6gP
“For June 19, WAC is promising Rudolph Mate's ironically-titled "For the First Time'' (1959), starring Mario Lanza and released to the best notices of his career seven weeks before Lanza's death.”See also:
http://www.wbshop.com/product/for+the+first+time+1000311280.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=Search
George Laszlo
OK, I'm just kidding.
George - Gyuri
Derek McGovern
I certainly hope the film is being released in widescreen (as it was on the laserdisc version in the 1990s). And wouldn't it be wonderful if it were released in stereo? (A long shot, but you never know.)
By the way, the shop in your link says it's only available in the US. Hopefully, other stores will offer it to the rest of us...
Interesting that Seven Hills of Rome is not being made available first! I wonder if they've decided to bypass it?
Cheers
Derek
Michael McAdam
|
Derek,
These are the published specs for the film:
Rating: |
|
| Running Time: 97 minutes | |
| Aspect Ratio: 16 X 9 LETTERBOX|Original Aspect Ratio - 2.40 | |
| Format: Made To Order DVD | |
| Audio Format: Mono | |
| Box Type: Amaray Case | |
|
Copyright Info: © 1959 Turner Entertainment Co.
Mono and without any extras(?) but, look on the bright side - it will be in widescreen.
Mike |
On Tuesday, May 22, 2012 11:14:18 PM UTC-3, Derek McGovern wrote:
I certainly hope the film is being released in widescreen (as it was on the laserdisc version in the 1990s). And wouldn't it be wonderful if it were released in stereo? (A long shot, but you never know.)
Cheers
Derek
Steff
The other day, I was lucky to win an auction on e-bay for an eight-page programme of Mario’s concerts in Germany. Interestingly, there was an insert included, captioned with “Neues Programm” (new programme), which showed a changed and slightly shortened programme. I am not sure though for which German cities/venues the changes were intended.
Note the changes: No Monteverdi and Scarlatti, not even Cilea's “Lamento.”
“Bonjour ma belle” did not made it (poor me! smile), instead we see “Because” and “Torna a Surriento” which Mario both did not sing at the Royal Albert Hall concert”
I wonder what encores Mario did sing in Germany?
Derek McGovern
Hi Steff: That's very interesting about the German programme. "Torna a Surriento" really surprises me, as I'm not aware of his having performed it in concert before. If he actually did sing it, it's too bad he didn't perform it at the Albert Hall as well!
According to a group of young women who followed Mario around on the UK leg of his final tour (and wrote about it not long after the event), he did sing "Because" at one of his concerts---with the sheet music in front of him. So, yes, it is plausible that he also sang it in Germany. We certainly know that he made some changes to the opening group of his programme for the Stuttgart audience in January 1958, as this is mentioned in one of John Coast's letters to him.
Cheers
Derek
Steff
Derek McGovern
As for why the changes were made, from the way Coast words it in his letter of 29/1/58 to Lanza, it would seem that it was the promoter who had asked for a different opening group---or at least a different order of songs:
"...hearing you sing that opening group in a way that I know didn't please you, I nevertheless during that same group felt absolutely confident and sure that your's [sic] is the greatest living Italian tenor, and also the only truly robusto one."
It's curious, though, that Mario actually dropped an aria (Lamento di Federico) from that programme. Since the German promoters had been asking for an extra aria even before the tour began, it seems unlikely that they would have asked to drop the Lamento. Perhaps that was Mario's decision.
Cheers
Derek
Steff
In an article from December 1950, Mario Lanza was quoted as having said the following:
“I got $ 750 for singing one night at the Hollywood Bowl, but, of course, the big thing that came of it was my own M.G.M contract. That was in 1947, and the next day L.B. Mayer, Irving Berlin and a few others had me in for an audition.”
Is it true that Irving Berlin was there during Mario’s audition at MGM?
“Less than three days after the Bowl concert, work came to a halt at MGM’s Culver City Studios. Mayer had summoned fifty-five of the studio’s top staff, including producers, executives and directors, to the huge recording studio on Stage One. Among those present was producer Jo Pasternak, who along with Arthur Freed and Jack Cummings had formed the unit responsible for the output of musicals at MGM.”
No mention of Irving Berlin …
Derek McGovern
Of course, it's possible that Irving Berlin was at MGM that day; MGM's Easter Parade, for which he composed the songs, came out the following year. But it doesn't make all that much sense that he'd be one of the group assembled to listen to Lanza. Berlin wasn't associated with operatic voices, for a start.
No, my money is on Aaronson :)
Cheers
Derek
Steff
I just checked the ciakhollywood.com website which sends me a newsletter by e-mail once a month. I never had much time to browse the website, but today, just out of interest, I decided to search for Mario Lanza.
There are some nice screen shots from “The Great Caruso”
http://www.ciakhollywood.com/hp/grandecaruso/
and a biography of Anthony Mann in Italian (Incidentally, I was not aware that Anthony Mann died in Berlin)
http://www.ciakhollywood.com/biografie/mann/
Steff
jorain123
Derek McGovern
I didn't include "What's To Be" in the discography on our main site for the simple reason that I wanted to stick to recordings that are definitely in existence. (No bogus September 1959 recordings of "The Lord's Prayer" appear there for that reason :))
As to the song itself, it was very short---just 1:18---and it's been suggested that it may have been a rewrite of "Just We Two" (from Romberg's original score), which is only heard in the background during a dancing sequence early in the film. If that's true, well, we at least have Mario's 1959 recording of that song as compensation.
Cheers
Derek
Steff
On June 23, there will be an open-air concert at the beautiful venue Esterházy Palace, in Eisenstadt, Austria, with Joseph Calleja and Maria Martinez (with the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra of Vienna)
“Die Presse.com” website announced the concert a few days ago and wrote:
"[...] Wenn der Tenor Joseph Calleja den Schlager „Be my love“ von Nicholas Brodsky vor Schloss Esterházy singen wird, hat auch das viel mit seiner Opernkarriere zu tun. Der große Hollywood-Star Mario Lanza hat diesen Song in seinem Film „The Toast of New Orleans“ berühmt gemacht. Der tragisch früh, mit nur 38 Jahren verstorbene Lanza, der zwar nicht auf der Bühne, aber dafür mit seinen Filmen zum bekanntesten Operntenor seiner Zeit wurde, ist eines der großen Vorbilder für Calleja: „Mario Lanza hatte eine der schönsten Tenorstimmen überhaupt. Ich finde, er wird von einigen Kritikern ungerechterweise schlechtgemacht, die sagen, er wäre ein ,Schummeltenor‘ gewesen, was überhaupt nicht stimmt. Mario Lanza war der erste Opernsänger, der mich inspiriert hat, und er hat das genauso bei vielen meiner Vorgänger geschafft, wie Luciano Pavarotti und José Carreras“, sagt der aus Malta stammende Sänger […]"
"Tradition ist bei Joseph Calleja jedenfalls kein leerer Begriff. So bekennt er sich auch vehement zu den großen Vorbildern seiner Zunft: „Wenn ein Tenor nicht weiß, was seine Vorgänger gemacht haben, ist das gleichbedeutend mit einem Blatt, das nicht weiß, auf welchem Baum es hängt. Ich habe sehr viel von den Tenören der Vergangenheit, wie Jussi Björling, Luciano Pavarotti und Giacomo Lauri-Volpi gelernt. Die waren alle große, legendäre Sänger in ihrem Fach, und wenn man ihre Aufnahmen hört, ist das wahrhaftig eine Meisterklasse, in der man studieren kann, wie diese Rollen gesungen werden sollten [...]
“When tenor Joseph Calleja will be singing the popular tune “Be My Love” by Nicolas Brodsky in front of Esterházy palace, this will also be associated very much with his own career in opera. The great Hollywood-Star Mario Lanza made this song famous in his film “The Toast of New Orleans.” Lanza, who died tragically untimely at the age of only 38 and who became the most famous opera tenor, though not on the opera stage but through his movies, is one of the great models of Calleja: Mario Lanza had one of the most beautiful tenor voices ever. I think, several critics maligned him unfairly, saying he was a ‘cheat tenor’ which was not true at all. Mario Lanza was the first opera singer who inspired me, and equally inspired my predecessors such as Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras,” remarked the Malta born singer […]”
“Tradition is no empty word for Calleja. He vehemently commits to the great models of his profession: “If a tenor does not know what his predecessors did, it’s as if a leaf does know to which tree it belongs. I’ve learned a lot from the tenors of the past such as Jussi Björling, Luciano Pavarotti and Giacomo Lauri-Volpi. All of them were great, legendary singers of their profession, and when one listens to their recordings, it’s truly masterful and you can study as to how a role should be sung.”
Steff
Derek McGovern
And nice to see Calleja referring to Lanza as an "opera singer"! I trust Mr. Mannering will take note :)
Cheers
Derek
Steff
Hi Derek,
Well, I think Calleja solved this never - ending question "opera singer, singer of opera, etc...." very well:Mario was an opera singer - if not on the opera stage then at least in movies ...
Derek McGovern
This is why the efforts of a certain biographer in repackaging Lanza as a "pop" tenor are not helpful at all.
Cheers
Derek
Steff
Something to read just for fun:
From the Register Republic, 25 Sept 1951
“Colby’s Take My Word”
Cleveland. The lovely motion picture „The Great Caruso,” has created a new interest in opera tunes.
Our study club has vowed to base our course of study for next year on some of the best-known operas, but we want to be able to pronounce them correctly. Will you show us, by means of your easy phonetics how to pronounce the names of some of the most popular operas, together with their composers? Also, how does Mario Lanza pronounce his name? We’re real fans and we refuse to go along with the herd and say “mair-ee-oh LANzzah.”
Answer: Good luck to you in a program, which should be both interesting and helpful. I’m glad to do what I can to help.
First, in a recent letter, Mr. Lanza tells me that he prefers the pronunciation: MAH-ree-oh LAHNzah.Now for a few operas and composers (I’m sorry that space so limits the list):
I Pagliacci (“The Players”) is pronounced: ee pahl-YAH-chee. Both words and music were composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo: rood-JAIR-oh lay-OAN-kah-VAH-loe.
Il Trovatore (”The Troubadour”): eel TROE-vah-TOE-ray. Music was composed by Giuseppe Verdi: jyoo-ZEP-pay (almost: joo-ZEP-pay) VAIR-dee.
La Boheme (“The Bohemian Girl”): lah baw-EM (“h” is silent). Composer: Giacomo Puccini: JEE-ah-koe-moe (almost: JAH-koe-moe) poot-CHEE-nee.
Cavalleria Rusticana (“Rustic Chivalry”): KAH-vah-lay-REE-ah ROOSS-tee-KAH-noe. Composer: Pietro Mascagni: PYEH-troe mahss-KAHn-yee.
Die Walküre (“The Valkyrie”): dee vahl-KU-ruh. Composer: Richard Wagner: REE(CH)-ahrt VAH(CH)-ner.
Siegfried: ZEE(CH)-fret. Composer: Richard Wagner (see above)
Mariage de Figaro (“The Marriage of Figaro”): ma-ree-azh duh fee-ga-roe. Music by Wolfgang Mozart: VOELF-gahng MOTE-sahrt.
Steff
Derek McGovern
Cheers
Derek
Armando
It’s working OK from this end.
leeann
Tony Partington
Tony Partington
Lou
norma
Steff
I just noticed that apart from Baden-Baden, a second Mario Lanza tribute concert of Joseph Calleja has now been announced.
It will take place on January 28, 2013, in Vienna/Austria at the “Wiener Konzerthaus”
„Vor einem großen Idol verbeugt sich dann Tenorkollege Joseph Calleja. Der gefeierte, aus Malta stammende Sänger erinnert an den großen Mario Lanza. Calleja interpretiert am 28. Jänner 2013 ein Best of der schönsten Melodien, Arien und Schlager, die den tragisch früh verstorbenen Lanza in seinen sieben Hollywoodfilmen zum berühmtesten Sänger seiner Zeit gemacht haben.“
„Tenor collegue Joseph Calleja will take a bow to a great idol. The celebrated Maltese tenor will remember the great Mario Lanza. On January 23, 2013 Calleja will sing a “best of” of the most beautiful melodies, arias and popular song from the seven Hollywood movies, which made Mario Lanza, who died so tragically untimely, the most famous singer of his era.
From:
http://www.live-pr.com/great-voices-netrebko-calleja-hampson-r1049542544.htm
Also see:
http://www.greatvoices.at/calleja.php
Calleja will sing tunes such as Because, Serenade from “The Student Prince,” Be My Love, Arrivederci Roma, Nessun dorma, Addio alla madre and Vesti la giubba
Steff
norma
leeann
Thank you all so much for checking. It was just odd that two different kinds of problem popped up at the same time. Both are fixed now; evil gremlins are slain. Derek's problem was mysterious and beyond our control. The dropdown menu problem was also mysterious, but within our control, thanks to Derek's conscientiously saving earlier versions of the site that we can revert to in times of trouble.
Anyhow, as far as we know, everything's working as it should, but please always get in touch if you notice something is off. It's very much appreciated. Best, Leeann
Derek McGovern
Norma: I'm not sure which live singing on YouTube you're referring to---and don't forget, by the way, that all of Lanza's available filmed live performances are collected in the best possible quality in our Multimedia section. But if you mean the second Palladium performance, well, yes I'd say that Lanza was quite nervous that evening. After all, it was only the third time he'd sung in public that year (if we include the one song that he performed outdoors in Naples in July), and before that he hadn't sung live since 1954.
As for the open throat vs. closed throat approach, I'm not a singer, so I can't discuss the mechanics from personal experience but I do know that opening the throat too much (as per the lowered larynx technique that we've discussed a number of times) produces an ugly, monotonous sound and is ultimately damaging to the vocal cords. The trick, as I understand it, is to use a relaxed throat that's only slightly lowered (a la Lanza). Perhaps some of our singers will comment further, but I'll leave you with this interesting discussion of the two approaches (open vs. closed):
‘Opening the throat’ is defined as a technique whereby pharyngeal space is increased and/or the ventricular (false) vocal folds are retracted in order to maximize the resonating space in the vocal tract. Opening the throat involves raising the soft palate (velum), lowering the larynx and assuming ideal positions of the articulators (the jaw, lips and tongue), as well as shaping of the mouth and use of facial muscles.
The expression also describes the sensation of freedom or passivity in the throat region that is said to accompany good singing. The technique of the open throat is intended to promote a type of relaxation or vocal release in the throat that helps the singer avoid constriction and tension that would otherwise throttle or stifle the tone.
An ‘open throat’ - a misnomer for a few reasons - is generally believed to produce a desirable sound quality that is perceived as resonant, round, open, free from ‘constrictor tensions’, pure, rich, vibrant and warm in tone. It also produces balance, coordination, evenness and consistency, and a prominent low formant, which prevents the tone from sounding overly bright, thin or shrill. Additionally, if singing is performed with an open and relaxed acoustical space, the singer will experience a smooth blending of the registers.
This sound quality is linked to the vocal actions that take place during the preparation to sing (inhalation). The larynx lowers automatically when breath is taken in, and the soft palate naturally lifts at the same time. Because the events of singing are more demanding than those of speaking, requiring deeper inhalation, greater energy and further laryngeal depression, there is a corresponding increase in pharyngeal space that occurs somewhat naturally.
When a vocalist sings with a so-called ‘closed throat’, imbalance of registration is likely to occur. The chest register will be taken too high and the upper register becomes more and more harsh and strident because the singer creates a tone that is merely imitative of the head voice. Intonation becomes harder and harder to achieve because the larynx is too high and the soft palate too low, resulting in a feeling that the voice is being squeezed from both the top and the bottom. In other words, registration shifts cannot occur in a healthy manner if the throat is closed, nor if the vocal sound is driven toward the point of nasality.
The goal of every singer should be to achieve tonal balance. Many of the popular techniques that vocal teachers use to help their students improve the quality of their voices are devices for directly or indirectly enlarging and relaxing the throat during singing. The use of imagery, such as ‘drinking in the breath’, in their teaching is very common. Enlarging the throat space involves conscious inhibition of some of the natural reflexes, such as the swallowing reflex, a condition that is nevertheless essential to good tone production.
There is no science to refute that the teaching of the open throat is good pedagogy. The intricate relationship of muscles in the throat is positively affected when the head is allowed to be free on the neck. Each muscle achieves its proper length and connection with the others in an optimum state for functioning well. The muscles work together, each set meeting the opposing pull of the other, which allows the larynx to become poised, balanced and properly suspended. The vocal folds are actively lengthened and stretched by this action, and thus brought closer together. In these favourable conditions, they can close properly to execute the sound quickly and efficiently, and thereby produce a clear, clean tone with a minimum amount of effort. The throat is then properly ‘open’.
However, relying upon the open throat technique as the cure for all singing problems is potentially shortsighted and problematic, as a ‘closed throat’ neither causes nor explains all vocal issues.
From http://www.singwise.com/cgi-bin/main.pl?section=articles&doc=VocalTractShaping
Cheers
Derek
norma
Derek McGovern
I still find it amazing that Lanza sang so well that evening! Imagine what it would have been like for him to step on that stage in front of a huge television audience, knowing that all the critics and naysayers were just longing for him to fail. It's easy to forget how brutal the press had been to him. But he proved them all wrong that night!
Cheers
Derek
casefa...@gmail.com
From"Silent Night (in February ....?)"While the UK was covered in snow this February, John Lenehan was busy recreating a classic rendition of the Christmas Carol “Silent Night”. Commissioned by DECCA to reconstruct a missing score for the 1950s recording by Mario Lanza, the result will be heard later in the year in a CD tribute to Mario Lanza performed by Joseph Calleja, the BBC Concert Orchestra and the New London Singers conducted by Stephen Mercurio"
norma
Norma
Derek McGovern
norma
Best Wishes Norma