Miscellaneous Lanza (for any Lanza-related titbits that don't warrant an individual thread)
Derek McGovern
Lanza Google alert:
http://greatoperasingers.blogspot.com/2010/02/mario-lanza-american-tragedy.html
This sentence, in particular, caught my eye:
"Peter Hermann Adler told me once that there was no doubt at all in
his mind that Mario Lanza was the greatest voice America ever
produced."
The post is reasonably accurate, though, coincidentally (in light of
my post yesterday about sped-up Lanza recordings on YouTube), the
writer's under the impression that the final note on the Student
Prince Serenade is a B natural. The recording he's linked to is
running a semitone fast, and does Mario no favours at all!
I presume the "publicity agent" the writer is referring to who told
him "sordid" stories about Lanza is our old friend the convicted
fraudster Al Teitelbaum.
Derek McGovern
underplayed how impressive it is. This observation, in particular,
from the writer (Edmund St. Austell) truly gets to the nub of Lanza's
tragedy:
"Mayer came up with a typically Hollywood sized offer, and the son of
poor and struggling Italian immigrants from Philadelphia was
overwhelmed. He made, at that crucial junction, what is in my opinion,
and the opinion of many, a tragic mistake that would determine his
destiny."
Armando
meaning of tragedy when applied to Mario Lanza than some of the
“experts” who are exponents of the fallacy that Hollywood and MGM had
nothing to do with what ultimately destroyed Lanza.
On Feb 16, 9:52 pm, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Re-reading the blogpost in the link above today, I realized that I'd
> underplayed how impressive it is. This observation, in particular,
> from the writer (Edmund St. Austell) truly gets to the nub of Lanza's
> tragedy:
>
> "Mayer came up with a typically Hollywood sized offer, and the son of
> poor and struggling Italian immigrants from Philadelphia was
> overwhelmed. He made, at that crucial junction, what is in my opinion,
> and the opinion of many, a tragic mistake that would determine his
> destiny."
>
> On Mon, Feb 15, 2010 at 7:34 PM, Derek McGovern
>
> <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > This interesting blogpost on Lanza just arrived in my email inbox as a
> > Lanza Google alert:
>
> >http://greatoperasingers.blogspot.com/2010/02/mario-lanza-american-tr...
Tonytenor
It might perhaps be worthwhile at this point to define the difference
between something tragic and a tragedy.
When using the classic Greek (if you will) definition of the two
words, here is what you have...
Tragic: Something tragic. Something of tragic proportions.
Something tragic can happen to anyone, the "common man" so to speak
(here is an example of a modern day TRAGIC event:
http://www.startribune.com/nation/84696517.html?elr=KArks:DCiUMEaPc:UiacyKUUr
). Very sad indeed, but most certainly not a TRAGEDY, at least not by
the classic Greek definition. Tragedy: A tragedy involves only those
of true greatness. In ancient Greece, tragedys occured to the gods
not to humans. To take this definition a step further, or to
modernize it, if you will, the case of Mario Lanza was both tragic and
a tragedy. This is true not because he was a poor kid from
Phiadelphia who "made good" but because of what Mario Lanza was. What
he possessed, what he became, what he did and, perhaps this is what
makes the tragedy all the more keen, what he could have done but did
not. What he did do was a blessing to all of humankind and certainly
to all those who have not just ears but hearts to hear with. We are
though left with that age old question which John Greenleaf Whittier
penned so very well: "Of all sad words of tounge or pen, the saddest
are these; it might have been."
Tragedy: A tragedy involves only those of true greatness. In ancient
Greece, tragedys occured to the gods not to humans. To take this
definition a step further, or to modernize it, if you will, the case
of Mario Lanza was both tragic and a tragedy.
Just some random thoughts.
Tony
> > > fraudster Al Teitelbaum.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
leeann
Well,Tony, you do "random thoughts" awfully well. :-)
I also found Mr. Anstell's later thoughts among the comments at the
end of his article to be interesting. "He came at the end of
something, rather than the beginning of something. He hearkened
back...in a way, he was grounded in the 30's, back in the days of the
opera singers who made films."
We often seem to see Lanza as a man out of his time--here, too late;
too early for that. And as a man out of the place he belonged.
Truthfully, I think I tend to consider him a bridge between eras--and
that, too, has elements of tragedy, I think. Anstell says in that same
comment, "when Lanza is the subject...It's hard to be joyful, or
celebrate, or be very happy about a great voice, career,
accomplishment....it's always tinged, because of the near heroic sense
of tragedy."
Yes, it is. How amazing it is, though, that his gift and the use he
did make of it continue to touch us so deeply--and that the voice and
the man himself seem to have transcended the Faustian bargain, the
tragedy in so many ways. And that, despite ongoing misperceptions and
just plain erroneous stories about his life and his voice. I don't
quite have a complete thought on that.
In the Washington, DC, area of the US, we were snowed in as we haven't
been, apparently since the end of the nineteenth century. I had a
chance to reread some of Armando's book--again, with appreciation.
It's a wonderful opportunity to go back and forth between the ideas of
this forum and this splendid work. Lee Ann
Armando
Your statement,
“What he possessed, what he became, what he did and, perhaps this is
what
makes the tragedy all the more keen, what he could have done but did
not.”
Encapsulates the tragedy of Mario Lanza perfectly.
Frankly, after the repeated statements made over the years by the “He
destroyed himself Brigade,” it’s like a breath of fresh air to read
perceptive and intelligent comments by both you and Lee Ann and,
naturally, our Derek who is always on the money.
On Feb 19, 11:16 am, Tonytenor <tonyparting...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Oh, Armando. I echo your statement - a thousand times over.
>
> It might perhaps be worthwhile at this point to define the difference
> between something tragic and a tragedy.
>
> When using the classic Greek (if you will) definition of the two
> words, here is what you have...
>
> Tragic: Something tragic. Something of tragic proportions.
> Something tragic can happen to anyone, the "common man" so to speak
> (here is an example of a modern day TRAGIC event:http://www.startribune.com/nation/84696517.html?elr=KArks:DCiUMEaPc:U...
zsazsa
like you, I just can not hear anymore the `He destroyed himself
Brigade` and yours, Tony`s, Lee Ann`s and Derek`s posts are like fresh
air to read. Like you all, I do love the article of Mr. St. Austell
and thanks a lot Derek, for you`ve shared the precious link with all
of us.I like also by the comments, when Mr. Austell says:
`But then, on the other hand, he was loved by many people, and he
inspired many. People still think of him fondly today. It`s impossible
to judge, but the loss was so great.`How very true.
Ciao Susan
leeann
few days. Like Joseph Fagan, my first response was a hollow feeling,
likely in my gut. Instead, I'd like to prevail on Derek and Armando
for two more questions. Are there any particular topics you wish this
forum might have talked about? What else would you like to see
brought out about Mario Lanza. And, Armando, you have shared the
substance of interviews you've done with this group from time to time.
Among the interviews you've done--which ones are particular highlights
for you?
I am hoping both you have many more articles and books yet to go.
Always with much gratitude, Lee Ann
barry oderfer
> Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:15:37 -0800
> Subject: Re: Miscellaneous Lanza (for any Lanza-related titbits that don't warrant an individual thread)
> From: leeann...@gmail.com
> To: mario...@googlegroups.com
Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft’s powerful SPAM protection. Sign up now.
zsazsa
you are so very right saying to Derek and Armando, we are really
hoping that they have many,many more articles and books yet to go.
And here is two interesting links, one of them is although a German
link, but I can not find the English version of this book. It is a
book from Roberto Alagna and there are 14 sites he mentions Mario, so
it would be very interesting to know what he writes about him, but as
far as I know he is an ardent Mario admirer, so I`m thinking of buying
this book, because of the parts about dear Mario. The title of the
book: Tenor by calling and this is the link;:
Alagna book Tenor of calling:
http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/3795706823/ref=sib_rdr_dp
Another interesting link is as follows;
http://books.google.de/books?q=mario+lanza&um=1&hl=en&lr=&sa=N&start10
Here you can find the books where Mario is mentioned, I find it
interesting as sometimes you can read a part of what they are writing.
So sorry that the great Forum will be closed, but do hope that somehow
we`ll stay in contact and very much looking forward to hear great news
about remembering dear Mario, from Derek and Armando. Best wishes to
you all from Susan
Armando
interviews I did were particularly interesting I would have to single
out Barry Nelson who made a tremendous contribution regarding the
early part of Lanza’s life and Sam Steinman for the later years. There
were many from a musical point of view, particularly George London,
John Green, Ray Heindorf, Licia Albanese, Franco Ferrara and Riccardo
Vitale.
Thank you and best wishes,
Armando
Derek McGovern
>Are there any particular topics you wish this
> forum might have talked about? What else would you like to see
> brought out about Mario Lanza?
In answer to your first question, I don't feel we'd exhausted the
subject of Lanza's recordings by a long shot. In fact, there are many
that we've never even discussed. Even those recordings that some might
say we've analyzed to death (eg, the "Mario!" album songs) are always
worthy of more discussion -- and it's amazing how a new member will
suddenly offer an insight that had never occurred to any of us "old
hands". Besides, with Lanza, no matter how often you've heard his
recording of something, on his best performances there's always
something new to discover.
What else would I like to see brought out? A collection of carefully
compiled Lanza CDs, organized by genre (eg, Neapolitan Songs; Operatic
Arias), and featuring the best performance available in each instance
would be fantastic. A beautifully scripted film biography is another
wish. Actually, there are a couple of other things as well that I'd
like to be closely involved in, but I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to
mention them publicly yet!
Cheers
Derek
zsazsa
thank you so much for your post and I want to tell you that your post
has made me very happy, excited and curious in the same time. How
wonderful and most interesting, that you are actually plan to be
closely involved in the future (a beautifully scripted film biography
is one of my greatest dream. because that is what reach the widest
public!) and wishing you good health, every immaginable best and great
success, that you can make true all of your great plans and so very
much looking forward to hear the great news, when it will be so far.
We are with you in our thoughts and wishing from the bottom of our
hearts that your great plans will come true very soon.
Till next all the very best from Susan Sempre per Mario!
leeann
We often bring up the errors associated with Mario Lanza--so deeply
embedded in the rumor mill or in the foundations of that ruinous Time
article--and we also have the Armando's biography as the
counterbalance and most definitive statement about Lanza. Yet, I don't
think we ever finish telling the story of a man either. More than
specific projects, I was wondering what direction might you like to
see that ongoing discussion take? What subjects or ideas?
And please ignore this question if answering infringes on projects
you're already involved with! Best, Lee Ann
Derek McGovern
due as an artist. While the majority of commentators (sometimes
grudgingly) acknowledge that he possessed a great voice, too often the
actual qualities that he brought to his singing are overlooked. We'll
read, for example, an "expert" in Opera News claiming that Lanza's
singing, by and large, "lacked nuance". Or that he was a very poor
musician. Even Lanza's musicality has been ridiculed. These comments
are tossed out as if they're facts, and are invariably made by people
who possess only a passing familiarity with Lanza's recorded legacy.
Yet the point is that Mario Lanza didn't merely possess a magnificent
voice; what made him unique was the combination of that voice with an
innate sense of phrasing and an extraordinary commitment to
everything he sang. He was the complete package.
I'd also like Lanza to be regarded not only as an important singer of
popular American songs, but as a potentially great operatic artist.
The dumbing-down of Lanza's recorded legacy over the last 15-20 years
-- to the point now that virtually every CD release focuses on the
"popular" Mario of the Coke Shows (and often on the most wayward of
those performances) -- has obscured the fact that, sporadically,
throughout the 1949-58 period he made some amazing operatic
recordings. You'd be hard pressed to know that from a casual look
through his CDs in any record store. Yet I can't help thinking how
differently Lanza's legacy might have been viewed by the public at
large if its representation hadn't reflected the musical tastes of one
compiler over the last decade and a half. There is far more to Lanza
than just the American Songbook, and it's a travesty to me that he is
now principally represented on CD as a pop singer. In fact, this
perception has reached the point where Mario is now sometimes
described as "a crooner"!
It's a very sad day indeed when Lanza is assigned in CD stores to the
Nostalgia bin (usually with a host of non-operatic talents from the
1950s), while Russell Watson, Paul Potts, and Andrea Bocelli adorn the
operatic sections.
So, as you can see, Lee Ann, there's still plenty to be done :-)
Mike McAdam
that I finally finished my critical (second) listen to the 5-CD “Album
Classics” release. Even though the Forum discussions are now closed I
feel I should contribute some read-only opinion and comment
here...even though this pony has long since vacated the stable ;-))
In a nutshell, I’m glad I purchased this set after reading your
various comments some time back. Thank you all.
I’m still amazed that when I place each CD next to its original LP
(excepting ‘Seven Hills’ and ‘Touch of Your Hand’ which I never
purchased back when) they are indeed identical. This is a bit vexing
in some ways. Cute idea though it may be I, for one, have a heck of a
time reading track numbers and liner notes on this set even with my
bifocals on! (wait for it, McGovern….your days of myopia are
coming :-)
The sound on these CDs? With some exceptions it is quite pristine and
noteworthy. My opinions/findings as follows:
There seems to be some high-end emphasis on the “Student Prince”
tracks which give them a somewhat raspy or, dare I say ‘sandpapery’
sound. Not like the velvety, even sound of the Rhino CD and its
selection of outtakes from this film. That could be my aging ears
though? (I must add that I am spoiled now that I have cobbled together
audio montages of various selections from the Laserdisc film
soundtrack and those Rhino CD outtakes …..more on this later for any
interested members) The ‘B’ side of the LP has great sonic evenness.
‘Yours Is My Heart Alone’ and ‘If I Loved You’ never sounded better;
just like my old LP (sans clickety-pop of course).
Apart from the dubious choices in the song selections on “The Touch Of
Your Hand” LP release (also its dubious inclusion in this set?), the
sound is really great. No high-end emphasis here. What on earth was
Mario doing on that ‘Desert Song’ though? Listen to the 1959 version
and it really jars by comparison.
“I’ll Walk With God”. This the LP which introduced me to ‘Trees’ and
‘Through The Years’ by Mario and my first recollection of becoming
annoyed with Ray Sinatra and his ‘blasting’ orchestra in that latter
piece. There are some lovely selections on this LP however and the CD
here is fairly even in its sound. I am wondering though if the
original master was used?
The LP version of “Favourite Arias” I have is in ‘electronic’ stereo
and it appears that this CD is from the same master. Lovely, silky
sound here and lovely to have ‘Cielo e Mar’ and the Coke ‘Improvviso’
on CD at last. The only bad selection here is the overly fast Boheme
aria (as Derek has noted on a few occasions). I think Mario would have
nixed this choice if he had lived. He knew he “….sang like a son-of-a-
bitch” on that 1949 recording and it is doubtful he ever would have
allowed such a disconcerting juxtaposition to be available on LP.
Last and, for me, least of the five CDs; the “Seven Hills” entry. I
find the sound on most of the film selections a bit brittle and
jarring (save ‘Questa O Quella’ which comes from another source). I’m
happy though to finally have the ‘Imitation’ sequence in digital
format so that I can separate and play ‘Frankie Laine’ and ‘Louis
Armstrong’ for some of the Lanza bashers I know. This in order to
watch their jaws drop when I tell them who is singing? The ‘B’ side of
the LP on this CD, with the exception of the two ‘sobby’ and strained
selections from ‘Serenade’, sounds great and as another member stated,
even the reverb on the superb ‘Never ‘Til Now’ has been attenuated.
All in all, a solid purchase for 33 bucks and a worthwhile addition to
my nigh-unto-complete collection of everything that Mario ever
recorded. I must add in closing that if it weren’t for the generosity
of two or three of the original stalwarts on this Forum I would never
be in such a fortunate position as to be able to state the foregoing.
Vielen dank, meine Dame und Herren!
Mike
> > you're already involved with! Best, Lee Ann- Hide quoted text -
Derek McGovern
You're more generous than I am about His Favorite Arias :-) For me,
it's not just the galloping Che Gelida that's bad; I'd put Una Furtiva
Lagrima and Celeste Aida in the same basket. The two Tosca arias are
also pretty rough. (Mario even spoils the climactic line on E Lucevan
le stelle.)
I don't find the sound on the Student Prince selections "raspy",
though I agree that it's not as good as the laserdisc soundtrack. The
exception is Drink! Drink! Drink! (and, of course, Gaudeamus Igitur,
which Lanza doesn't sing in the film). Here, it's not marred by that
fake stereo effect, and it rings out more gloriously than in the film.
But it's the 'B' side of The Student Prince that really pleased me. As
you say, the sound is beautifully even (and full), and this is the
best I've heard If I Loved You and One Night of Love.
If only the same care that went into choosing the 'B' side Coke songs
for The Student Prince had been applied to the Touch of Your Hand
album! It really is a very spotty compilation, and, for the life of
me, I still can't understand why A Kiss and Other Love Songs (or even
The Magic Mario) wasn't chosen instead for this set. Ye Gods, that
Desert Song is bad!!
On a positive note, I'm still revelling in the much-improved Never
Till Now.
Cheers
Derek