New 2-CD Lanza set arriving in January 2025: "Night and Day"

[Derek McGovern]

I've just posted an announcement here about this exciting new release from Sepia Records.  

More details will be posted in about two weeks.

[vegan...@gmail.com]

Thank you Derek.........

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[Fr. Damien Quigley]

Fantastic news Derek! And just look at those live and previously unreleased tracks - amazing!

[Tessa1111]

More healing songs from Mario Lanza, what a lovely gift.

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Damien: You'll no doubt be pleased that there's a quintet of religious songs as well on this set. This grouping includes Martin Luther's "A Mighty Fortress" (the oldest number that Lanza ever recorded) and the stirring live performance of the 19th century English harvest hymn "Come, Ye Faithful People, Come." 

Perhaps the most thrilling of the various rarities on the set is the 1950 (Hedda Hopper Show) radio performance of "Vesti la giubba." This recording has truly been enhanced by the DES (Digitally Extracted Stereo) process, as we were able to bring Mario forward on what was originally a substandard transcription that featured his voice too far back in the mix to be appreciated fully.  Now, thanks to the clarity of DES, it's apparent that he was in exceptional form that day.

The other "Vesti" on this set is the Great Caruso soundtrack version (sourced from a 1959 Italian radio broadcast), and it also sounds better than ever before.

From around December 22, you'll be able to hear preview snippets of quite a number of the 49 tracks, so please stay tuned!

[Derek McGovern]

A thrilling 18-minute promo by Vince Di Placido for the upcoming Night and Day 2-CD release from Sepia Records is now available here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNPs4Pmz_Ic

Night and Day will be available directly from Sepiarecords.com in early January, and I'll be providing the direct link here for orders as soon as Sepia has it in stock. The official international release date for Amazon and the like is roughly a month later on February 7, 2025, but for those in the US the set is available now for preorder from the Mario Lanza Institute at this link. (Proceeds from sales at the Lanza Institute go towards scholarships in Lanza's name for promising operatic singers.) 

In the meantime, please watch and share the above link for Vince's Night and Day promo, as it is magnificently put together and offers tantalizing snippets of around a third of the tracks. They include the rare 1950 radio performance of "Vesti la gubba" mentioned in my previous post---originally a very poor reproduction that has now been substantially remastered through the magic of DES. While it may not be the sonic revelation that many of the commercial recordings are on the set, it has never sounded better or more exciting, and in my opinion is worth the price of the set alone.  

Derek

[Derek McGovern]

Night and Day is now in stock at Sepia Records' London warehouse and can be ordered here:

https://sepiarecords.com/sepia1394.html

This 2-CD release is selling for £10.99 for those in the UK;  £13.99 for people in the EC; and £15.99 everywhere else. All prices include airmail postage.

Night and Day will also be available from Amazon and other online sellers from February 7, 2025, as well as from the Mario Lanza Institute in Philadelphia later this month at this link.

[leeann]

leeann<leeann...@gmail.com>

8:10 PM (13 minutes ago) 

to Mario Lanza, Tenor

This IS is a thrilling video. Kind of knocks your socks off, to use a phrase likely popular when Mario Lanza was "knocking socks off" in real time.  Thank you so much for this video and the others posted on this forum and on Vince's YouTube channel. I appreciate they explain DES, that they use film and original documents for context and history, and most of all, that all that happens while placing Lanza's voice and life front and center. 

I'm so appreciative that Derek McGovern, Armando Cesari and Vince Di Placido have time-traveled one of the most amazing voices of the mid-twentieth century to the present from records and books to the internet and various digital formats and now to the profound sounds of DES. And oh, yes, thank you Sepia.

[Derek McGovern]

Many thanks for your post, Lee Ann. 

While there have been the inevitable skeptics posting comments under Vince's recent videos questioning the validity of the DES process, I feel that his promo does a wonderful job in explaining (and demonstrating through some terrific examples) how Digitally Extracted Stereo works---and why it doesn't compromise the integrity of Lanza's vocals (or the orchestral accompaniments) in any way whatsoever. It simply allows us to hear these recordings more clearly, as if a layer of gauze has been removed. "Profound sounds" indeed!

Derek   

[Derek McGovern]

Jeffrey Campbell (whom I think used to post on this forum) has just posted this comment about the Night and Day 2-CD set in the News section at mariolanzatenor.com:

Bravo to all for this stunning release, and kudos again to Sepia and the team who continue to bring forth the finest in the Lanza canon, now sounding even better with DES. Surely the finest reproduction of the Lanza voice we have ever heard, A gift from God indeed. Bravo tutti. I received my CD from Sepia within a week (I’m in Arizona).

It's very gratifying to receive such positive feedback. If you're reading this, thank you very much, Jeffrey!  

[Derek McGovern]

The well-known opera authority (and distinguished professor of medicine) Neil Kurtzman has just posted a glowing review of Night and Day on his popular opera/medicine blog:

https://medicine-opera.com/2025/01/night-and-day-mario-lanza/ 

I particularly appreciated his William Faulkner quote in respect of this release: "As Faulkner observed, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” In Lanzas’s case, it’s alive on these discs. Who are they for? Everyone!"

So true.

Great to see Vince's wonderful promo video for Night and Day included in Prof. Kurtzman's piece too.  

[Derek McGovern]

Derek Mannering has just posted this wonderful five-star review of Night and Day on Amazon:

Amazon Customer

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb compilation of classic love songs and thrilling arias. Lanza at his very best.

Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2025

The creative force behind this stellar 2-disc compilation is Derek McGovern, a highly respected authority on Mario Lanza’s life and career and the man behind the many Lanza CDs released to date on the Sepia label. He is joined here by Stephen Cutler whose engineering skills are displayed on every track selected for this new release. The audio quality is DES (Digitally Enhanced Stereo) and it is stunning. It serves as a timely reminder of why Lanza remains the crossover artist supreme. No other classically trained singer, before or since Mario Lanza, has ever bridged the diverse worlds of grand opera and pop so convincingly and so well. The combination of a great voice, impeccable phrasing and a deep commitment to the lyrics are on full display on every performance included here.

Disc 1 is devoted primarily to love songs. Highlights include Lanza’s peerless soundtrack recording of “Because,” featured in “The Great Caruso,” a seldom heard charmer, “Never Till Now,” with some melting mezza voce at the midpoint, and a flawless rendition of the Kern-Hammerstein classic “All The Things You Are” in which he moves effortlessly through tenor, baritone and crooner range before bringing the song to a tender close. Make no mistake, this is romantic singing of the highest order.

Disc 2 covers a wide range of styles, including Neapolitan songs, sacred music and a dozen arias from the great operas. Standouts are two contrasting approaches to Lanza’s self-described ‘lucky aria,’ “Vesti la giubba,” and a deeply moving “Lamento di Federico,” recorded for the tenor’s movie “Serenade,” that reportedly moved one of the musicians to tears. Lanza’s incomparable recording of “Granada” also gets the full DES upgrade and sounds better than ever.

All of this is accompanied by a beautifully produced booklet containing several rare photos of the artist. “Night and Day” is an exceptional tribute to a truly great American tenor, a must-have for everyone who loves the voice of Mario Lanza.

Derek Mannering
Author:
Mario Lanza: Singing to the Gods
Mario Lanza: A Life in Pictures