Lanza's most thrilling singing (and high notes)

[Derek McGovern]

Even many of Lanza's detractors would probably (grudgingly!) acknowledge that regardless of his stylistic "crimes" or other (perceived) lapses, he was one of the most exciting tenors on record. Part of that excitement stems from his brilliant upper register (although, as something like the magnificently intense 1953 "Beloved" demonstrates, Mario didn't necessarily have to sing high notes in order to be thrilling). There are numerous Lanza recordings featuring amazing high As, B-flats, Bs, and high Cs (those so-called tenor's money notes). Here are a few of my favourites:

  
High As (the last note in each of these three cases)

http://www.4shared.com/account/audio/Y2Zn_a-o/La_Danza__1955_.html 

(La Danza: 1955 version)

http://www.4shared.com/account/audio/CLJXftJW/Passione.html

Passione: Talk about a "wall of sound"!

http://www.4shared.com/account/audio/6NNcBp60/Some_Day__Mario_Lanza_1951_.html

Lanza's 1951 Some Day

 

I also mustn't forget that miraculous high A that Lanza sings at the end of the introduction of Granada (on the word "dar") on his 1949 recording.

High B-Flats

http://www.4shared.com/account/audio/tIYisuQd/Because_Youre_Mine__ex_tape_.html (Albert Hall Because You're Mine)

This live "Because You're Mine" has a much better B-flat (on the last note) than either his studio or MGM recordings. It's a phenomenal sound, and sends the crowd into an appropriate frenzy. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzIi2C7cc9E (I'll Be Seeing You)

This one's completely unexpected, and yet it doesn't seem gratuitous at all. It's a fitting climax to a marvellous piece of story-telling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJG0L54Ly3U (Only a Rose)

The way this 1956 recording ends is thrilling proof that the Lanza on Broadway sessions of just three months earlier were only a temporary abberation!  

 

High Bs

http://www.4shared.com/account/audio/rwlA_CKm/Lamento_di_Federico__1955_.html

Breathtaking.

 

High Cs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0m6Yt9qIfg (Tina-Lina)

Whatever you might think of this trite song as a composition, this RCA version is perfectly sung and capped with one of the most effortless high Cs Lanza ever recorded.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOPvS5mYX70 (Che Gelida Manina)

The 1949 recording, of course.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FccefrUX8uY (Vogliatemi Bene)

For my money, this is the greatest recorded high C that we have of Lanza in a live performance. (Of course, he went even higher on at least one occasion in public -- the high D-flat that he doesn't quite hit squarely on pitch on the Addio, Addio from Rigoletto, but which is exciting nonetheless.)

 

What are your favourite examples of Lanza at his most thrilling?

[Derek McGovern]

P.S.: Merlyn C. Minick, who attended Lanza's Kansas City recital in 1951, wrote this interesting description of Mario's upper register:

 

What I remember and admire most about Lanza's voice was its lyric versatility and the voluminous and exquisitely clear and breathtaking "ring" (bell-like) to his high notes as well as the soothing and mature mellowness to his lower register. The so-called "ring" to Mario's voice was particularly captivating and his ability to catapult (if you will) the sheer brilliance of his voice to the far reaches of any auditorium was uncanny. While listening to him (in the flesh), I certainly relished the warm sound as it was being produced but I was always more enraptured by his high notes and the residual or "lingering" of his sounds which seemed to stand still (in time) as they permeated the expanses of an auditorium, after sound production itself had ceased. This lingering effect was not a result of "echoing" per se but was in effect a suspension of the long-lived or lingering reverberations which muscially described the "bigness" of his voice, even as it was subsiding. 

(From http://www.rense.com/excursions/lanza/listen.html)

[Savage]

Great examples, Derek! I'm not sure if they are A's or not, but the highest note in the 1949 Mamma Mia as well as the high note from E Lucevan Le Stelle are thrilling to me.

David

[Derek McGovern]

Hi David: You've chosen two great examples! That's a High A on the commercial recording of E Lucevan le Stelle -- actually, Mario sharpens while on the note, giving it an exciting edge (at least to you and me,  though probably not to purists :)) -- and a spectacular High B Flat on the Mamma Mia, Che Vo' Sape. 

 

I've always felt that the 1949 RCA Mamma Mia was a flawless recording in every respect: vocally, musically, and interpretively. And to my ears, it's never been better reproduced than it was on this 1959 LP pressing -- slight scratch and all:

 

http://www.4shared.com/account/audio/BUcmjMCG/Mamma_Mia_Che_Vo_Sape-__Mario_.html  

 

Wow -- that B flat!!

 

Cheers

Derek

 

[Savage]

Derek, the "lingering reverberations" of that spectacular b-flat will remain in my head forever.


David

[zsazsa]

Hi Derek and All,

some of the most thrilling high notes from Mario are  "I`ll walk with God", "O Sole Mio" (1949), "Cielo a Mar", "And Here You Are" and from my husband, Helmut "Without a Song". Of course it is always very difficult to tell which is the "most", as there are so many, but these surely belongs to my favorites and most thrilling sounds. I enjoy and looking forward  to hear all of your most thrilling versions, it is a most interesting question. Of course the "Pineapple Pickers" is a very bad song, but the ending is really thrilling!

Cheers from Susan 

[Savage]

Derek, flawed or not, the commercial E Lucevan le stelle from "O dolci baci'' to the end has to rank among the most spectacular tenor singing ever heard on this planet.

David

[Derek McGovern]

Hi David: I don't mind Lanza's sharpness in the slightest on this recording, and I've played this rendition to plenty of musicians who haven't batted an eyelid at it (if indeed they even detected it!). It's all part of his incredible intensity here. This is one of those recordings -- especially when played at a decent volume -- that draws the listener in immediately and doesn't let go. 

 

A few friends have lamented the fact that Mario avoids the diminuendo on "disciogliea" that, say, Corelli or Di Stefano do, and that he is a bit of a bull in a china shop here. But his approach works. It's straight from the heart, and he makes every word count. I don't just love this recording from "O dolci baci" onwards; I love it from the first magical line. And has anyone ever sung "mi cadea fra le braccia" so beautifully?

 

We have a wonderful thread on Lanza's various E Lucevan le Stelles here:

 

https://groups.google.com/forum/?lnk=gst&q#!topic/mariolanza/2q4SLXaDpUs

 

And here's a link to my favourite audio reproduction of the recording (even the ghastly clarinet playing at the beginning sounds better here!):

 

 http://www.4shared.com/account/audio/lm-D0pY7/E_Lucevan_le_Stelle__Mario_Lan.html

 

E lucevan le stelle ed olezzava la terra, stridea l'uscio dell'orto, e un passo sfiorava la rena... Entrava ella, fragrante, mi cadea fra le braccia... O dolci baci, o languide carezze, mentr'io fremente le belle forme disciogliea dai veli! Svani per sempre il sogno mio d'amore... L'ora è fuggita... E muoio disperato! E muoio disperato... E non ho amato mai tanto la vita!

And the stars twinkled and the earth was fragrant, the garden gate creaked, and a footstep brushed the sandy path... she entered, perfumed, and fell into my arms... Oh sweet kisses, oh yearning embraces, as I, trembling, undid her veils to reveal her beauty. Vanished forever is my dream of love.. The hour has fled... And I die in despair! And I die in despair... And life has never been so precious to me!

 

[Michael McAdam]

While I've enjoyed many of Lanza's high notes in his recordings (a few of of them are mentioned here), I've always felt he shouted more than sang on a couple of the other entries.

 

I think the three high notes that always 'grabbed' me were: the last 'crazed' high note at the end of Dio ti Giocondi (vil cortigia...NAAAA); the extended 'e' vowel "for-E-ver" at the end of the RCA Lord's Prayer and, the final note at the end of Some Day (of a ..KING!)

 

Honourable mentions ;-) to the extended high A at the end of the 1949 Lolita and the E-flat close of the Toselli Serenade.

[Savage]

Derek,
I can't deny that the recording is a masterpiece from beginning to end. I was just zeroing in on the most dramatic, exciting portion of the aria. I would be hard pressed to find a more beautiful showcase of Lanza's artistry than this aria.

David

[leeann]

Of course, it's not always the high notes. I've realized that I'll often replay--and replay--certain pieces at certain times just to catch a phrase or a note again and again. And I think it's always a totality of tone, a vocal depth in combination with an interpretation that just won't let me go.  It would take a long list to go through such pieces.  Right now, the Caruso-Bracco Serenata is on the top of those selections.  There's a thread here and among the discussions, Armando points out that Lanza hits FIVE high As and a high B, all while soaring in a sort of stable flowing rhythm.

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/mariolanza/serenata/mariolanza/QKq1gwHaNKM/pZtS4v7H3oUJ

But it's the interpretive refinement that accompanies the vocal feat--the bite in gelido reflected in freddo (ma il tuo core e gelido, quale macigno freddo--but your heart is frozen; what cold sandstone)--well it's all well-covered above and leaves me speechless.

Then there are the surprises--who else could turn such a tacky period piece (well, in my opinion, anyway) as Pineapple Pickers with such an unexpected final note?  Or the crowd-pleasing grand finale to La Danza?  Best, Lee Ann

[Derek McGovern]

Mike wrote:

 

I think the three high notes that always 'grabbed' me were: the last 'crazed' high note at the end of Dio ti Giocondi (vil cortigia...NAAAA); the extended 'e' vowel "for-E-ver" at the end of the RCA Lord's Prayer and, the final note at the end of Some Day (of a ..KING!)
 
Honourable mentions ;-) to the extended high A at the end of the 1949 Lolita and the E-flat close of the Toselli Serenade.

 

Hi Mike: Ha: that "crazed" high C on "cortigiana"! That was very naughty, since the tenor is only supposed to touch the note, but it's a thrilling moment nonetheless. It actually gets quite a bit of favourable comment on operatic sites such as grandi-tenori and Parlor of Opera Lovers.

 

Yes, the high A is terrific on the 1949 Lolita. But, Mike, what E flat ending are you talking about on Toselli's Serenade? 

[Michael McAdam]

Hey Derek: I mean the closing note of the Toselli piece (Rense's C.C version anyway). My night club singer/pianist friend, who has perfect pitch, agreed ("hey, nice B-flat"). He's a recent Lanza introductee and also noticed that good old Mario goes sharp on the note, as per ;-)

[Michael McAdam]

Oops! I just spotted the note you were questioning, Derek. When I typed the post I was playing the chord/note on guitar while Mario sang it and had meant to type B-flat, not E-flat....duh! ;-))

[Barnabas Nemeth]

I am ill reading this statement. Instead, this high note for me results goosebumping,

Barnabas

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Barnabas: I think you may have misunderstood Mike's comment. He was praising the last note of the Coke Toselli Serenade, not criticizing it!

[Barnabas Nemeth]

This way I totally agree.

Barnabas

[Derek McGovern]

I see that Martino on the Rense forum has returned to one of his favourite observations, i.e., that "Mario Lanza should never be considered a high note specialist." It's Martino's view that because Lanza's high Cs were not always "rock solid," his technique may have been lacking in terms of supporting his upper register. 

I don't agree with Martino at all. No singers, no matter how good their vocal techniques may be, can consistently churn out perfectly executed high notes. It seems unfair to me to single out a handful of instances in which Lanza's high Cs were less than perfect––e.g., the 1948 and 1955 O Soave Fanciulla––and cite them as proof of a faulty technique. More often than not, Lanza's upper register was brilliant, both in the studio and in concert––as even those reviewers who fixated on his stylistic lapses grudgingly acknowledged. (In fact, if there's one aspect of Mario's singing that doesn't disappoint on his Albert Hall recital, it's his high notes, with his abundance of terrific B flats and an exciting B.) Moreover, he could negotiate the most unforgiving of tessituras, as on his alternate Serenade for the film of the same name, when he has to bang away repeatedly in the upper third of his voice. Would that much-lauded high note specialist Pavarotti have surpassed him here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jin0s5HJAQg? I suspect not!       

Nowhere in any of the (admittedly meagre) live recordings that we have of Lanza from 1947 to 1958 do we hear him struggling with his upper register. That includes the high C on the 1948 O Soave Fanciulla (from Lanza's second Hollywood Bowl concert) that Martino criticizes. Where Lanza disappoints on his studio recordings––his illness-affected 1959 sessions aside––the real reason is an unwillingness, either on his part or the studio's, to do the necessary retakes. In Serenade, for example, there are several high Cs that are far below Mario's usual standard (though there's nothing wrong with the first of his two high Cs on Di Quella Pira). When Armando brought this up with Serenade's musical director, Ray Heindorf, the latter replied (somewhat indignantly) that, while Lanza could have easily fixed the problem with a retake, time was of the essence––and, besides, how many filmgoers would have been able to tell the difference? (More than Heindorf thought, unfortunately––at least among Lanza's aficionados!) 

I think we tend to forget that even the most touted high-note specialists (then and now) record multiple takes of material before authorizing recordings for release. The fact that Lanza frequently wasn't anywhere near as exacting with his legacy shouldn't be held against his vocal prowess.       

 

[Armando]

One must not confuse technique with the ability to sing high notes. Furthemore, the larger the voice the more difficulty one will have hitting a high C consistently well.  Corelli, whose technique was far from perfect, is an exception since he worked fanatically on his high C for 6 years before mastering it, but even he transposed everything down by a tone in live performances. 

 Pavarotti, Gedda and similar pure lyric tenors were known as high C specialists but their voice size was less than half that of Lanza. 

Lanza was not only secure but effortless when it came to his high register. You don’t sing Che Gelida Manina in key if you are uncertain (Ottawa 1946) or the high C in the Butterfly and Boheme duets ( Los Angeles 1947-48) which in both cases is optional.

 But it’s often touch and go when one reaches those stratospheric heights and not all high Cs will turn out perfect no matter who sings them.

If one has any doubts about Lanza’s high C he only has to listen to the one he sings in Che Gelida Manina, both in the 1949 recording and in The Great Caruso the following year. The only word for it is stunning!

 

 

[Armando]

Clarification: Since Martino, on Rense’s forum, seems to have been rattled by my remark about technique versus high notes, what I meant is that the ability to sing high notes is not necessarily related to technique. Years ago I was talking to a singing teacher in Italy who told me “I’ve got all these donkeys coming to me with splendid high C s and even high Ds and nothing else, and they all want to learn how to sing!”

  

[Barnabas Nemeth]

Derek, I cannot disagree with you. Otherwise, the high C is not everything. Di Stefano's high C's were infamously weak even though he was a great singer. The tone and the capability of inner impresson is more important.  Eventually, the goosebump what counts! In most cases of Pavarotti I did not feel goosebump though I appreciated his musicianship. I do not feel this at Caruso either.

Barnabas

[Jan Hodges]

I agree with Barnabas entirely. I can admire Pavarotti's  vocal quality and technique , but emotionally he leaves me cold. Ditto for Caruso. After all music appeals to the emotions as well as the senses and for me I judge a piece by how well the singer connected with the piece and how the performance made me feel . Jan

[Derek McGovern]

I see that Martino has responded on the Rense forum to my post above. I'll reply to him here rather than boring the other Rense regulars with this topic (which has excited little interest there) -- and if Martino would like to comment further, then he's perfectly welcome to post a response on this forum.

First of all, I'll concede that Lanza's high C on the 1948 "O Soave Fanciulla" with Kathryn Grayson is not up to his usual standard, and much inferior to his 1947 version with Yeend. It's a bit of a heave and it's quite pinched:  

http://www.4shared.com/audio/ABfPl1Nk/O_Soave_Fanciulla.html

But this was a momentary lapse in an otherwise great evening of singing from him -- and, to come back to an earlier point, one could hardly cite this as evidence of a faulty upper register. The same evening Lanza had thrilled his audience on Agnus Dei and Nessun Dorma, soaring into the stratosphere on both of them. Moreover, he'd had to contend with Rozsa's punishingly slow tempi -- which would challenge anyone's technique on such difficult music. ("O Soave Fanciulla" is also painfully drawn out -- though the upside is that Lanza offers some beautiful phrasing. If only his 1955 version had been as sensitively rendered!) Any tenor who could pull off an Agnus Dei this successfully -- and it's worth checking out this excellent reproduction of that performance here: http://www.4shared.com/account/audio/LdtGnLOo/Agnus_Dei.html -- in a live setting deserves recognition not just for his solid technique, but for his effortless upper register.  

Martino hears "a certain strain on the not so good high notes that tells [him] it is technique related." He goes on to write that, 

There is a coarseness, a thickness rather than the freer and more airy sound (even if the note goes bad) of some other singers, including the big and powerful voiced tenors. I'm not sure if Mario fully learned the movement necessary to a more 'heady' register, relying primarily on his extraordinary chest voice. Wunderlich is a much different singer and voice type than was Lanza but listen to his high Cs to hear this.  

To this I would simply reply: listen to those Lanza high notes -- and there are numerous examples in my first post in this thread -- that are not coarse or strained. The fact that Lanza's upper register was brilliant more often than not should surely put paid to any notion that he had not properly mastered the approach to his high notes. Any great singer -- and that includes "high-note specialists" -- will tell you that some days their B-flats, Bs, or high Cs just don't work the way they usually do. The reasons, as Domingo has pointed out, can be physical as well as psychological. In Lanza's case, most of us would acknowledge that he abused his body, and almost certainly this affected his singing. (The coarseness and strain that we hear on the Lanza on Broadway album suggests a depressed singer in poor physical shape.)  

The bottom line for me is that if a singer's upper register is usually brilliant -- as Lanza's clearly was -- then their occasional off-days shouldn't be held against them.  

Moreover, it's pointless to bring up a different voice type, such as Wunderlich's lyric tenor, for the purpose of comparing Lanza's upper register unfavourably with that particular singer's high notes. Wunderlich's high C on, say, his 1965 recording of Granada, is exciting all right, but is it really any more impressive than Lanza's high C in the 1950 Che Gelida Manina? These things are subjective. And, in fact, as far as Wunderlich is concerned, I can cite plenty of instances in which his high notes were also pinched, strained, off-key, or otherwise disappointing (his recently discussed renditions of Di Rigori Armato, for example, and an earlier version of Granada). But do those disappointments make me question his technique? Not for a moment.         

 

[Barnabas Nemeth]

After many years I was touched by a talented female singer who is very special for my taste:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvEiFGL3RjU

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FCY3ZP5n4c

 

Barnabas

[zsazsa]

Hi Jan,

like you, I agree with Barnabas absolutely! If a voice can not touch me, my heart, my soul, than I just can not like it, uninteresting what a great name he, or she is. Beside this, for me is very important that the singer not overplay his/her role, I mean that I love by Mario`s performances so much, that he sound very honest in his singing, not overdo, not big histeric crying, shouting, but always honest, that is for me also very, very important! I just can not have emotional feeling if I see or hear that what he/she does on the stage is not honest! By singers, it is very oft the attitude, but for me is is really repellent.

Best from Susan

[Lou]

Hi Armando: Pavarotti's voice size was less than half that of Lanza? This is new to me. Time and time again, I came across accounts by critics and reviewers that the Pav's voice was "fabulously large," "uncommonly large," "enormous." Could it be that they were equating voice size with carrying power?

Best,
Lou

[Armando]

Hi Lou: Pavarotti’s voice was strictly that of a lyric tenor, beautiful in quality but rather tight and lacking in roundness and far from large. His technique was such that the voice carried extremely well, but as for being “fabulously large, uncommonly large, or enormous” the critics and reviewers in question must have been listening to a different singer from the one I heard on a number of occasions, the last in 1991.

[dreeny]

Mario's top notes are such a joy, I find myself waiting for the part to come when he hits one of them.  Even better is when

his beautifully pronounced phrases are sung in this high register as in "And Here you Are" "Song of Songs" and, of course

"Serenade".  All his phrasing is/was quite perfect.  I will not pretend to understand Italian but having listened to Mario's impeccable

delivery of so many beautiful songs (Neapolitan I guess) like " Ditencello Vuie, Ciribiribin, Musica Prohibia etc., I find myself waiting

for the special parts where his pronounciation is so crisp and I enjoy this even more than the music.  Combine this with his thrilling

high notes ...I am at a loss for words.

 

Doreen

 

 

 

[Derek McGovern]

I was just listening to Lanza's 1950 version of the Improvviso from Andrea Chenier, and thrilling anew to his glorious handling of the conclusion of the aria, I remembered that we had this thread. How could I have neglected to mention what he does from that dreamy "O giovinetta bella" right up to the B-flat on the second "amor"?  Really, it's the perfect combination of poetry and passion!  

O giovinetta bella,
di un poeta non disprezzate il detto:
Udite! Non conoscete amor,
amor, divino dono, non lo schernir,

del mondo anima e vita è l'amor!    

If you haven't listened to this recording for a while, then I suggest you do yourself a favour and visit Vince's creative matching of images and sound here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pahN2h2qZ_8 [For those in a hurry, "O giovinetta bella" is at the 4:09 mark]

Cheers

Derek

[norma]

Wonderful.!When I first heard him singing this on the home recording,I was stunned by the power in his voice.
Best Wishes Norma

[Savage]

Wonderful visual treat in addition to the spectacular vocals.  Today I also revisited the beautiful recording of Toselli' serenade.  Listening to the way Mario tosses off the final "mai piu" brings to mind the concept of "northern lights in a throat."  The final note explodes and rings in a spectacular way..

Wow!

                                                Cheers,

                                                   David