M'apparì

[Derek McGovern]

I referred to Lanza's M'Apparì the other day as one of his greatest operatic recordings - which it is! - but what I neglected to add is how astonishingly underrated his rendition is. The kindest comment about it by a critic that I've yet to read is that "by modern standards, [it's] a pretty good record: not distinguished in style, but tonally warm and attractive" (The Record Year, 1953). They just have to be patronizing, don't they? And yet here the critic is only half right, for *stylistically* this is anything but undistinguished; in fact, it's glorious singing. In a sublime balancing act, Lanza manages to combine both passion and sensitivity on this rendition, and it's one of his most intelligent, musical accomplishments. His diction is superb, his sense of line exquisite, and his singing abounds with magical little touches: eg, his first "l'incontrò". (Other favourite moments? Listen to his "e strazia il cor..e strazia il cor...M'apparì tutt'amor", and then from "Tu la pace" through to the end. Fantastic stuff!)

Other critics either ignore Lanza's M'Apparì completely when reviewing his operatic discs or, in one notorious instance, damn the entire HMV album on which it appears - an incredible attack considering that the same LP also includes the 1950 Improvviso:

"On sampling [Lanza's] Opera Recital, we found nothing that could be seriously recommended to the musical public: the intonation is dubious, the style still more so." (The Record Guide, 1955).

The absurdity of these comments exemplifies the type of prejudice that Lanza was up against during his lifetime. Granted, this album also included the rough Butterfly Duet with Malbin and a couple of other disappointments, but that's no excuse for damning the entire disc.

Even Lanza fans tend to overlook Mario's M'Apparì. Mannering, for example, describes it as "sterling" in his liner notes to Opera Arias & Duets, but then lumps it in the same class as the much-inferior 1950 O Paradiso and asserts that, in any event, Lanza "shines" more in his two Andrea Chenier arias. In fact - if anything - Lanza's M'Apparì is every bit as good as his 1950 Improvviso and superior vocally to his other Chenier rendition (Come un Bel Dì di Maggio). 

So how do other members here feel about this recording? Would you rate it, as I do, among his half dozen or so best studio operatic renditions?

M'Apparì (Ach, so fromm) from Act III of Von Flotow's Martha

M'apparì tutt'amor,
il mio sguardo l'incontrò;
bella sì che il mio cor,
ansioso a lei volò;
mi ferì, m'invaghì
quell'angelica beltà,
sculta in cor dall'amor
cancellarsi non potrà:
il pensier di poter
palpitar con lei d'amor,
può sopir il martir
che m'affana e strazia il cor...e strazia il cor
M'apparì tutt'amor,
il mio sguardo l'incontrò;
bella sì che il mio cor
ansioso a lei volò;
Marta, Marta tu sparisti
e il mio cor col tuo n'andò!
Tu la pace mi rapisti,
di dolor io morirò
Ah! Di dolor morirò sì, morrò!

She appeared to me, purest of love.
I discovered with my eyes this vision of delight.
Lovely was she, that my hungry heart,
in a snap, to her did fly.
I was hurt, I was charmed
by that beauty from above.
Love is etched in my heart,
and cannot now be erased.
The mere thought that our hearts
with sweet love might beat as one
is enough to forget all the sorrow
that fills my heart.
She appeared to me, purest of love.
I discovered with my eyes this vision of delight.
Lovely was she, that my hungry heart,
In a snap to her did fly.
Marta, Marta, you have left me,
and my heart with yours has vanished.
Peace and quiet, gone now forever,
I will surely die of pain.

[Jan Hodges]

Yes Derek I would agree Mario's voice production in M'Appari is superb. It is one of my top four favourite arias along with the Otello Monologue, the Improvisso and Che Gelida. I think the reason my personal preference places the Otello and the Improvviso ahead of M'Appari is simply the more dramatic and exciting subject matter which gives Mario a greater scope for his dramatic ability. As a piece of gentle, tender and beautiful singing I would rate M'Appari "exquisite". Jan

[Derek McGovern]

Thanks for your feedback, Jan. Lanza's renditions of the Otello
Monologue, the Improvviso, and Che Gelida Manina are all stunning
examples of his art. And yet the amazing thing is that these arias,
together with M'Apparì, range from the dramatic to the lyric. It's
rare indeed that a tenor can sound equally convincing as both Rodolfo
and Otello!

[Savage]

Derek, you are certainly right about this recording which is surely
one of Mario's top five operatic renditions. There are no stylistic
lapses and an incredible sweetness of vocal sound from beginning to
end. I would be hard pressed to name a recording of the aria that
measures up to Mario's version. The only one that comes close is an
early DiStefano recording, but even that falls short. Bravo Mario!


David

On Feb 24, 4:03 pm, "Derek McGovern" <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I referred to Lanza's M'Apparì the other day as one of his greatest
> operatic recordings - which it is! - but what I neglected to add is
> how astonishingly underrated his rendition is. The kindest comment
> about it by a critic that I've yet to read is that "by modern
> standards, [it's] a pretty good record: not distinguished in style,
> but tonally warm and attractive" (The Record Year, 1953).
>
> They just have to be patronizing, don't they? And yet here the critic
> is only half right, for *stylistically* this is anything but
> undistinguished; in fact, it's glorious singing. In a sublime
> balancing act, Lanza manages to combine both passion and sensitivity
> on this rendition, and it's one of his most intelligent, musical
> accomplishments. His diction is superb, his sense of line exquisite,
> and his singing abounds with magical little touches: eg, his first
> "l'incontrò". (Other favourite moments? Listen to his "e strazia il
> cor..e strazia il cor...M'apparì tutt'amor", and then from "Tu la
> pace" through to the end. Fantastic stuff!)
>
> Other critics either ignore Lanza's M'Apparì completely when reviewing

> his operatic discs or, in one notorious instance, damn the *entire*

> HMV album on which it appears - an incredible attack considering that
> the same LP also includes the 1950 Improvviso:
>
> "On sampling [Lanza's] Opera Recital, we found nothing that could be
> seriously recommended to the musical public: the intonation is
> dubious, the style still more so." (The Record Guide, 1955).
>
> The absurdity of these comments exemplifies the type of prejudice that
> Lanza was up against during his lifetime. Granted, this album also
> included the rough Butterfly Duet with Malbin and a couple of other
> disappointments, but that's no excuse for damning the entire disc.
>
> Even Lanza fans tend to overlook Mario's M'Apparì. Mannering, for
> example, describes it as "sterling" in his liner notes to Opera Arias
> & Duets, but then lumps it in the same class as the much-inferior 1950
> O Paradiso and asserts that, in any event, Lanza "shines" more in his
> two Andrea Chenier arias. In fact - if anything - Lanza's M'Apparì is

> every bit as good as his 1950 Improvviso and superior to his other
> Chenier rendition (Come un Bel Dì di Maggio). One could even argue
> that thrilling and perfectly interpreted though the 1950 Improvviso
> is, Lanza's vocal production is actually better on M'Apparì.

[Armando]

Without doubt M'appari is one of Lanza's most remarkable recordings of
an operatic aria.

For here everything falls into place. Lanza is in glorious voice, the
phrasing and pathos are spot on, the style and technique faultless,
and even the tempo is, amazingly, just right.

Play this for anyone, be they critics, self proclaimed experts, or
mere music lovers, and I dare there them to find fault with it.
Unless, of course, they are so totally prejudiced that they are unable
to admit that this is, indeed, a standout performance of the aria.

> > I will surely die of pain.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Mike McAdam]

Funny, but Michael Friedland, in his recent four-part BBC Radio
biography "The Mario Lanza Story"* offered in an early segment "So,
could Lanza have been a successful Opera singer? Well, you be the
judge. Here he is with "M'Appari". After the beautiful rendition he
asks "That was Mario Lanza, the opera singer. Was he good? Well, some
thought he was far beyond just good...just ask José Carreras......".
And on he continues with an interview etc. It was fitting that he
chose the von Flotow aria to introduce his radio audience to "Lanza,
the Opera singer".

> > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

[Mike McAdam]

Addendum: readers will have noticed the asterisk after "The Mario
Lanza Story". That footnote would have read (if my kybd had not
frozen!!??): * this program will be familiar to some of you to whom I
forwarded the program. Thanks again to our venerable member Bob Davies
for making it available to me a couple of years back (where in blazes
are you lately, Bob?).
M.

[BobD]

Here I am ! Lurking in the background as usual ! I agree that M'appari
is one of Mario's best operatic recordings, but my personal favourite
is the aria from "Forza" O tu che in seno agli angeli. It was first
issued on the RCA Camden LP called "You do Something to Me." Why it
was not released in the early 1950s is a mystery, explained (maybe)
that Mario only recorded 19 commercial releases (with Callinicos) and
there was nothing for the "B" side. The Coke show version of this aria
is also worth a listen as well. I will be posting more soon. Hello
again to all

[Derek McGovern]

Just to return to Mike's earlier post in this thread, yes, M'apparì
was a wonderful choice for Friedland to play at that point on his BBC
programme. (In fact, many of his selections were excellent.)

I was just thinking, though: we're lucky that there isn't a Coke
version of this aria floating around as well, as I can just imagine
which rendition BMG would have chosen for release :-) After all, when
back in 1972 RCA put together what should have been a magnificent 2-LP
set (Mario Lanza's Sings Opera's Greatest Hits), they opted to replace
the RCA versions of Celeste Aida, the Improvviso, and Che Gelida
Manina with the *Coke* versions on this collection!

Interestingly enough, M'apparì is one of only a handful of arias that
Lanza recorded just once in his career (that is, as a complete
version), although we know that he sang it in concert in his early
days. But like some of those other one-version-only recordings that he
made - the Otello Monologue and Finale, and Di Rigori Armato - he
achieved such perfection the first time around that, frankly, I'm glad
that he never attempted a remake.

[Derek McGovern]

PS: The liner notes to the aforementioned Opera's Greatest Hits album
also claimed that its 2-LP set contained *all* of the operatic
selections that Lanza ever recorded! (How RCA overlooked such things
as the Addio alla Madre, the Lamento di Federico, the Otello Finale, O
Tu Che in Seno agli Angeli, and Gloria all'Egitto is beyond me.)
Reading this at a young age - and not knowing any Lanza aficionados
then - I actually believed this nonsense for a short while. I wonder
how many others thought the same? RCA certainly made it seem as though
Lanza's operatic output was miniscule indeed.

[Vince Di Placido]

Mike, I would love to hear that Michael Friedland BBC radio
documentary - please & thank you! :-) :-) :-) How did I
miss this documentary???
Mario is just pure gold on M'Apparì, it's a recording that just
doesn't get the attention it deserves, we really do need a properly
chosen BMG compilation! Sorry for stating the obvious, I know we all
know this.

[Jan Hodges]

Vince wrote<

Mike, I would love to hear that Michael Friedland BBC radio

Documentary - please & thank you!   :-)    :-)    :-)     How did I Miss this documentary???   All I can say is  I  would like hear it too.....grovel..grovel .LOL Jan

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Vince: Well, to be fair to Mannering, he did include M'Apparì on
both his Definitive Collection and Opera Arias and Duets. It's just
some of the material that he chose to *accompany* M'Apparì on both
those discs that bothered me. (The impact of a great recording does
tend to be diminished when it's surrounded by lesser performances.)
What neither he nor BMG seem to realize is that an operatic
compilation on which *everything* is of the same brilliance as
M'Apparì shouldn't be an impossible dream; it's all there for the
taking!

[Jeffrey Mulvey]

Hello Derek - Yes, I had this set also back in the late '70s and was similarly mislead.   I thought also that it should have been called "Tenor's Greatest Hits" or something other than what it was, because obviously Mario could not have sung all the great soprano roles, for instance, which would be essential if it were indeed "Opera's Greatest Hits". 

 

Anyway, I'm really enjoying these discussions...keep them going!

 

Best regards, Jeff

[Vince Di Placido]

Yeah! I have both those cds, you made my point for me actually, Derek,
that a consistent collection is long long overdue, a flattering
tribute to Mario's great voice. I talk to fellow singers & musicians
about Mario & it always bothers me that when they ask what cd should
they get to hear Mario's best recordings I always have to honestly say
there isn't one cd that gathers all his truly best recordings & I'm
always putting compilations together myself, which I love doing anyway
but the point is we should be able to name THE collection that has
Mario at his absolute best.
What I also wanted to say about M'Apparì is that it in my opinion
Mario's performance is the definitive recording of the aria & it is
amazing how little you would hear this beautiful recording on the
radio for example. I could say the same about Che gelida manina or Dio
mi potevi, music fans are just not getting the opportunity to hear
these amazing performances & possibly be turned on to the magic that
is Mario Lanza. I used to listen to the radio an awful lot when I was
younger & apart from possibly Be My Love & a couple of Student Prince
selections, Mario was noticeably absent from the airwaves. It is such
a pity!

On Mar 2, 9:54 pm, "Derek McGovern" <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Vince: Well, to be fair to Mannering, he did include M'Apparì on
> both his Definitive Collection and Opera Arias and Duets. It's just
> some of the material that he chose to *accompany* M'Apparì on both
> those discs that bothered me. (The impact of a great recording does
> tend to be diminished when it's surrounded by lesser performances.)
> What neither he nor BMG seem to realize is that an operatic
> compilation on which *everything* is of the same brilliance as
> M'Apparì shouldn't be an impossible dream; it's all there for the
> taking!
>

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Vince: Believe me, I know exactly how you feel when people ask you
to recommend a Lanza CD to them. It's embarrassing, actually! In most
cases, it's Mario's operatic recordings that friends and colleagues
want to hear - and they're always amazed when I tell them that there's
only one all-operatic Lanza CD in existence, and that it's a mixed bag
at that.

Mind you, it's just as bad when it comes to The Student Prince and the
Mario! album - arguably Lanza's two best LPs. You'd think that BMG
would exercise a little bit of care when releasing these classic
albums on CD, especially when it came to finding suitable material
with which to accompany these recordings. So what do they do? In both
instances, they pick albums that feature Lanza below par and badly
recorded (The Desert Song and The Vagabond King) - almost as if they
wanted to nullify the glorious singing heard on the first half of each
of these CDs.

But getting back to Lanza's operatic releases, the dumbing-down of his
legacy is not a recent thing: it's been going on for a very long time.
As Jeff points out above, even the *title* of the 1972 two-LP set
(which *still* represents the most substantial RCA release of Lanza's
operatic recordings to date) was just plain awful. "Opera's Greatest
Hits"? Since when was a relatively obscure aria such as Testa Adorata
regarded as a "hit"?! This lack of care on the part of his recording
company, coupled with laughable (and frankly insulting) liner notes
(eg, "At 20 Lanza knew 50 complete roles"), was a far cry from 1950s
when the important people at RCA, such as Manny Sachs, appreciated the
scale of Lanza's talent and saw him primarily as an operatic singer.

(Speaking of which, I love Sachs's comment - as found on page 200 of
Armando's book - when he heard the Serenade soundtrack: "Throw out
everything else and stick to this. The man is a musical phenomenon." )

[Derek McGovern]

PS Vince: I forgot to mention that, yes, it's the same situation in
New Zealand when it comes to hearing Lanza on the radio. For many
years, in fact, our sole classical music radio station flatly refused
to play him at all - presumably regarding him as too low-brow for
their listeners' refined sensibilities - while the more mainstream
National Radio restricted itself to a small selection of his popular
ditties. You would certainly never hear something like his M'Apparì,
and this is still the case today. Be My Love, With a Song in My Heart:
they're the kinds of recordings that they usually play. Indeed, Lanza
is represented on radio exactly as Mannering habitually portrays him:
as a popular singer, not an operatic tenor.

But on one occasion - remarkably! - National Radio played something a
little different: Mario's *English* version of Arrivederci, Roma. A
friend heard it late at night. At the end of it, though, the announcer
declared, "How sad: a great voice in decline." !!!

On 3/3/08, Derek McGovern <derek.m...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Derek McGovern]

Thanks for this, Muriella!

You've put your finger on one of the reasons this recording is so
often overlooked (especially by pseudo-reviewers who know nothing
about singing): the fact that Mario does indeed make it all sound so
effortless. (We could say the same thing about his Serenade from The
Student Prince and so many other performances.) He doesn't strain or
over-emote his way through the aria, as some might do. Of course, any
operatic singer worth his salt who listens to this rendition would
immediately recognize the difficulty of the piece - and would
therefore appreciate the magnificence of Lanza's singing here.

Mannering - predictably? - doesn't even mention Lanza's version of
M'Apparì in either of his two biographies, though he finds plenty of
space to single out They Didn't Believe Me, Valencia, Come Prima, and
Arriverderci, Roma as examples of Mario's "great studio performances."

[Sam]

I was visiting youtube today and heard this gorgeous recording of Di
Stefano singing M'appari
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzugNXvDxSc
and then listened to Mario's. Is this the recording being discussed
here?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yvC7A2YoMs
           Thanks,
            Sam

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Sam: I was a bit puzzled by your post! Firstly, there is only one
complete recording of Lanza singing M'Apparì, so I'm not sure why you
were asking if that rendition featured on youtube was the one we were
discussing. (But thanks for providing the link to it.) The other
thing is that the link you gave us to Di Stefano's version is actually
for his Core N'grato, not his M'Apparì. As far as I can tell, Di
Stefano's version of M'Apparì isn't available on youtube. I'd love to
hear it, though, especially if it was recorded during his prime.

On Mar 8, 7:46 am, Sam <s...@bee.net> wrote:
> I was visiting youtube today and heard this gorgeous recording of Di

> Stefano singing M'apparihttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzugNXvDxSc

> and then listened to Mario's. Is this the recording being discussed
> here?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yvC7A2YoMs
>            Thanks,
>               Sam
>

> > On 3/5/08, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > Thanks for this, Muriella!
>
> > > You've put your finger on one of the reasons this recording is so

> > > often overlooked (by those who know nothing about singing): the fact
> > > that Lanza does indeed make it all sound so effortless. He doesn't
> > > heave and strain his way through the aria, as many would. Of course,
> > > any operatic singer worth his salt listening to this rendition would
> > > recognize immediately the difficulty of the piece - and acknowledge
> > > the magnificence of the singing.
>
> > > Mannering, predictably enough, doesn't even mention M'Apparì in either
> > > of his two Lanza biographies, though he finds plenty of space to
> > > single out Valencia, Come Prima, and Arrivederci, Roma among Lanza's
> > > "great studio performances"! Need I say more?
>
> > > Cheers
> > > Derek
>
> > > On Mar 5, 4:55 pm, Muriel <mawscompu...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > > > M'Appari is one of Mario's most appealing recordings. Yes, it is among
> > > > my top half dozen favorites. I don't know what more I can add to this
> > > > comprehensive post, but I'll just write what comes into my mind. It's
> > > > a shame that it seems to get hidden in among lesser offerings.
>
> > > > Perhaps it's overlooked because the opera isn't performed these days
> > > > and no one else records it. Another idea I've had is that Mario's gift
> > > > for making it sound so effortless and uncomplicated, discourages
> > > > people from taking it seriously. The pleasing melody, with Mario's
> > > > voice blending perfectly, makes the sweetest presentation. Of course,
> > > > it is basically Lionel's engaging description of how he felt when he
> > > > first saw Martha, but a bit of drama enters in the last few lines as
> > > > he vocalizes his loss. As Mario sings this part, we feel his anguish,
> > > > but he conveys it with so much eloquence that I am completely
> > > > enchanted and I forget that I should feel unhappy for him. Now, that
> > > > is being spellbound!
>
> > > > Derek, you wrote that critics tended to dismiss an entire CD in which
> > > > this appeared. I can think of no better argument for compiling a
> > > > definitive operatic CD than this shameful fact. It deserves to be
> > > > among his best recordings and can hold its own there. As for
> > > > Mannering's totally different appraisals of it, well, we know how he
> > > > felt about Mario's operatic output in general. If I ever heard
> > > > convincing enthusiastic praise coming from him, then I'd have to look
> > > > twice to make sure I wasn't dreaming....
>
> > > > You've singled out the same parts I like best as well, especially,
> > > > "Ah! Di dolor moriro si, morro!" There is absolutely no question of
> > > > how he feels, but happily, all turns out at the end of the opera.....
> > > > Bella! Bella!
>
> > > > Now, bella sera da Muriella

[Sam]

Hi Derek,
Thanks for clearing up my stupidity. I hope you enjoyed Core
N'grato in any event!

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Sam: I wasn't trying to make you look stupid; I was just puzzled!
And I would still like to hear Di Stefano's M'Apparì!

[Vince Di Placido]

Hi, Derek! I just looked at Pippo's discography, it's printed at the
back of the booklet that comes with the FONO cd "Di Stefano - My First
Record", it is a collection of his first recordings from 1944, 1947 &
includes his Ingemisco with Toscanini from 1951. It lists M'appari as
being recorded by Giuseppe in 1951 but that it is "unpublished". So I
think we will have trouble finding his M'appari.

[Derek McGovern]

Thanks for that, Vince. Actually, I've just remembered that earlier in
this thread, David Savage mentioned that he'd heard Di Stefano's
M'Apparì, but didn't rate it quite as highly as Lanza's.

[Derek McGovern]

Here's Di Stefano's live rendition of M'Apparì.

What a rendition! The only respects in which it falls slightly short of Lanza's version, to my ears, is that Di Stefano's sense of line is not quite as impressive as Mario's here - nor is he as tender overall. But I love what Di Stefano does with the lines "mi ferì, m'invaghì quell'angelica beltà" (I was hurt, I was charmed by that beauty from above); you can really hear his pain. And vocally, he's in terrific shape here. His "Tu la pace" is brilliantly handled, as is the ending.

Coincidentally, Di Stefano is exactly the same age on this recording as Lanza is on his rendition. (The date of Di Stefano's performance is October 1950, six months after Lanza recorded his version - and Pippo was six months younger than Mario!)

Listening to these two great tenors' renditions of this aria, I was reminded of a statement by Enrico Caruso, Jnr: 

"[Lanza's] diction was flawless, matched only by the superb Giuseppe Di Stefano."

Enrico Jnr never wrote a truer word.

[Muriel]

I'm glad you finally heard this for yourself, Derek. I like the way
Mario's rendition flows - it seems so effortless, but yet, totally
expressive and sweet. I would not be disappointed if I had heard only
Di Stefano's recording, as it is lovely as well. His ending is very
impressive. To me, Mario's is just more flawless as I hear only the
perfect synchronization of voice, music and lyrics.  The warmth of his
voice fills the space around me and I am completely charmed.

Muriel

[Jan Hodges]

Having listened to Di Stefano's M'Appari. I much prefer Mario's rendition. Di Stefano has some thrilling moments in the aria especially the brilliant ending. His diction is excellent and his tone is bright and exciting. BUT.... he lost me in the first few bars. Mario's opening has a beautiful smooth even flowing line.Even when he stops the sound the next note just takes off where the previous note left off so there is no real sense of a gap. I can only describe Di Stefano's opening as "jerky". He seems to have several different tempi in the first few bars just as if he can't make up his mind at which speed to sing. Just my opinion.  Jan

[Joe Fagan]

Thanks, Derek, that was just beautiful!!....Joe

[Vincent Di Placido]

There was never a better example of Mario's liquid gold sound. This recording is SO satisfying. I love it! it's perfect! How often can you say that about any performer let alone a singer as berated as Mario was by the critics. Why didn't they listen properly & with an open mind & appreciate the great artistry that Mario was capable of.

[Derek McGovern]

I was listening this morning to Lanza's glorious recording of "M'apparì," and was yet again struck by the fact that I've never encountered a better rendition---by anybody. Even the great Fritz Wunderlich, whom one could reasonably expect to be ideal for this lyric aria, falls short of matching, let alone surpassing, Lanza's achievement here.

That's my opinion, anyway! And if anyone here has heard a rendition as good as (or better than) Lanza's, I'd love to know about it. 

Cheers,

Derek