Rate These Recordings: Three Lanza Versions of "Nessun Dorma"

[Derek McGovern]

Time for another round of "Rate This Recording!" This time we're featuring Lanza's three versions of "Nessun Dorma." 

Here's the direct link to the poll and sound files feature for these recordings:

http://www.mariolanzatenor.com/nessun-dorma.html  

Happy rating, and I look forward to reading everyone's comments here.

Cheers
Derek 

[gary from NS]

Hello Derek, and all..

As much as I sometimes feel overdosed on this particular aria, I do still hold it, as one of my favourites.

My ratings are:

1) 1948 concert, Mario is in fine voice,although to myself, lighter voiced,than the 1955 versions. But his voice was enjoyable, and I rated it 4/5..the tempo was too darned slow.  

2)this 1955 outtake I rated as 3/5. Proper tempo imo; but as good as it was I noted a couple of times where it seemed his voice faltered or perhaps his breathing was off slightly.. a darker voice,but this cut did not sound his best.

3)this 1955 film version I rated at 5/5. Everything seemed to come together,and it is my favourite of these three examples.

Mario was in great voice imo,and I marvel how I still get goosebumps most times when I here this version.

Cheers

Gary

[JOE]

Wow, Derek…what cruel ecstasy!  Picking from the three recordings is like deciding which finger you want to cut off. I loved them all, but in different ways. Surprisingly, I guess my favorite, is the 1948 concert…even though I recognize it was probably not the best sung of the three. I am just partial to the younger, fresher and more lyric Lanza voice. The slow tempi did not bother me since I felt it just made Mario sound much more deliberate and convincing. So this is a 5/5 rating for me, which  I am sure will put me out on that limb again…,lol

It is hard to figure why anyone would discard the next version. Any good tenor would be proud of it. But when you hear the last take, it becomes clearer. Mario just blows you away with this one. Powerful and very convincing. A certain 5/5 and bordering on a masterpiece!

[Derek McGovern]

Thanks for your comments, Gary and Joe. 

Joe: I also prefer the 1948 version to either of the 1955 takes. It's a thrilling piece of singing that I would love to hear in better sound quality, as I'm convinced the voice heard that night by the Hollywood Bowl audience was a much fuller instrument than what we hear on the broadcast transcription. Marilyn Horne, who also performed at the Bowl that evening as a member of the Los Angeles Concert Chorale, has said as much:

"We were all in love with Lanza. He was young and thin and gorgeous — and that sound! Man, he was the real thing. He would have been a spinto tenor. He was a spinto tenor." 

Miklos Rozsa's slow tempo on the Hollywood Bowl version makes a difficult aria even more difficult, of course. But listen to how Lanza is up for the challenge, with "Dilegua, o notte/tramontate stelle!" especially brilliant. 

The 1948 version isn't a perfect rendition, but given that it's a live performance hampered by a funerally slow tempo, it's pretty impressive stuff from a mere stripling of 27 singing under what must have been terrifying circumstances. 

As an aside, I wonder how many in the audience that night were hearing the aria for the first time? After all, the premiere of Turandot had taken place just 22 years earlier, and it would take some time for the opera to become established. I know I was instantly smitten with "Nessun Dorma" when I first heard it at the age of 15---and that was the Serenade version---and I still think it's one of the most memorable arias ever written.

I'll share my scores for the three versions in a week or two. But I will say this now: having heard the film version in its best-ever sound on the new Serenade DVD, I've come to appreciate it more. The constricted parts (i.e., from "Dilegua, o notte" onwards) no longer sound as tight, and those three high As (on the line "No, no, sulla tua bocca lo dirò") are miraculous. I wonder if any daring person will upload it onto YouTube? :)

Cheers

Derek

   

[Vincent Di Placido]

Derek, after that subtle hint I got it done... :-)

http://youtu.be/nMcXlgG2pTI

[Derek McGovern]

Thanks, Vince!!!! I'll add it to our site forthwith :)

[Vincent Di Placido]

Oh, Terri! That was rough, just heading out to work but i just wanted
to say that I do feel Mario never did quite give us his definitive
Nessun Dorma, those 1955 recordings are just a wee bit off, a shame
considering how magnificent other renditions are on the "Serenade"
soundtrack (Amor ti vieta, Otello, the Lamento etc) Derek you are
right, as always, about the performance sounding better on the new
dvd...
My favourite is The Hollywood Bowl recording, yes a bit slow but a
glorious piece of singing & almost a test of stamina due to Miklos :-(
Terri I have to disagree strongly with Mario getting his head ripped
off... I think he is an extremely strong physical & vocal prescence &
would hold his own against any soprano, just such a shame that he left
us so few examples of this but what we do have shows he had what it
takes & more than holds his own in any of the duest I have heard him
perform...

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Terri: Thanks for your comments. No need to duck!

However, I completely disagree that Lanza's voice would have been too light for the part of Calaf. The role is not the exclusive property of dramatic tenors, and there are plenty of spinto tenors who have enjoyed great success in the part. 

I think you forget that Lanza always had a pronounced spinto quality in his voice. His teacher Enrico Rosati pushed him to hold back on using the full spinto sound in his arsenal and sing more lyrically (and we can hear the results in his 1947-49 singing)---smart advice for a young tenor---but the dark baritonal colouring & heft to the voice was always there. Listen to the 1944 private recordings he made for Maria Margelli (Ezio Pinza's secretary), and you'll hear what I mean. Or the 1952 home recording of the Improvviso, with its thundering, wall-shaking dramatic sound. Then there are the reviews of his live singing, which consistently emphasize the similarity to Caruso's sound (as opposed to the lyricism of a Gigli):

The New York Herald-Tribune (reviewing Lanza's operatic debut in 1942): "If Lanza's natural abilities are developed in the proper direction, he will own a splendid dramatic voice."

"From a tremendous frame and chest a tremendous dramatic voice came forth, belying his youth in the tragic arias Ch'ella Mi Creda, E Lucevan le Stelle and Un Di all'Azzurro Spazio."---Review of Lanza's concert in Union City, NJ, November 1942.

Conductor Peter Herman Adler, who worked extensively with Lanza from 1945 to 1950: "He had a voice almost without limitation." And George London (as quoted by his friend vocal historian Henry Pleasants): "In terms of natural vocal endowment, Lanza had more voice than almost any man I have sung with." 

And distinguished conductor Franco Ferrara (Muti's mentor) after working with Lanza in 1958: "A Caruso-type voice...vocally extraordinary with a voice that had both steel and warmth....[his voice] was anything but small." (That sounds like an ideal Calaf to me; don't forget that some lyricism is required. The aria "Non Piangere, Liu," for example. Calaf is not all Giacomini-type thundering!!) 

Lanza's vocal coach Franco Zauli---who had heard the original Calaf (Miguel Fleta) and another successful Calaf, Francesco Merli, in performance---also remarked on the similarity of Mario's voice to both those tenors.

All of these comments suggest that Lanza would have had no difficulty singing opposite a dramatic soprano in Turandot. 

Cheers

Derek 

[Shawn]

I also like the '48 rendition the best and all things considered find it quite worthy of a 5/5.

The other two cause a lot more hesitation. I like the darker voice quality and dramatic approach and its passionate as usual, but (even with the improved sound quality) he's never sounded to me in top from here at all. The voice doesn't seem to have all it's usual fullness and color (as it did on the Otello Monologue, Lamento di federico, etc) and his customarily solid lower register in particular sounds a bit breathy and thin of tone in places. That said his fearless attack in the upper register is exciting and the finales on both are suitably moving (actually I find the "vincero" on the unreleased take to be one of the most stirring I have heard.) I gave both a 3/5.

[Terri Knudsen]

I don't doubt that he would be able to do it in time, but he was in his late 20s/early 30s when he did these versions and *for me* it wasn't right. It's not really a role you do till you're in your 40s, and as we know... he didn't get that far. As we've mentioned Kaufmann quite a bit already... not even he has done Calaf yet. I haven't even been able to find him doing "Nessie" anywhere. There's something to be said for knowing when it's the right time to do certain rep.

So although his early versions of "Nessie" didn't do it for me, I'm not saying he would never be able to do it. Comparatively, I really do enjoy his version of "Dio mi potevi" from "Otello" - another opera that (should be) done once you mature. I can hear the potential there too, and in my opinion he does this tons better than "Nessie".

Best
Terri

[Savage]

I rated the first and third versions as very good and the outtake as excellent.  The only problem with the first version is the tempo. The movie version is flawed by the mispronunciation.  All in all I prefer the outtake.

                                                                     David

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Terri: Numerous tenors have performed the role of Calaf in their 30s---and even in their 20s: Fleta, for example, who created the part, was only 29 at the time of the Turandot premiere. Domingo made his successful Italian debut in the role at just 28, singing it four times in the Arena di Verona (opposite the massive-voiced Birgit Nilsson), and performing it again in Italy two years later. Neither of these men could be classified as dramatic tenors. What's more, Puccini himself had wanted Beniamino Gigli (then only in his mid-30s) to create the role. Now if the composer himself believed that an essentially lyric tenor like Gigli could handle the part of Calaf, then a lirico-spinto named Mario Lanza was certainly up to its vocal demands!

The other thing to remember is that a dramatic tenor like Giacomini or Del Monaco is liable to have more difficulty with the tessitura of the role than a spinto or lirico-spinto tenor. (As a rule, the bigger the voice, the less facility in the upper register.) Producing a massive sound isn't everything. The role of Calaf includes an optional high C, and the high B in "Nessun Dorma" is a challenge for even the highest-lying of voices. I was just playing your "ultimate 'Nessun Dorma'," sung by Giacomini, and, to be honest, his upper register here doesn't make for comfortable listening. The three high As on "sulla tua bocca lo dirò" lack ring, there's a hint of strain on his voice in the passaggio even on "guardi," which is only an E (and, incidentally, there's also an edit right before that note), and the high B on "Vincero'" is not only harsh and metallic but slightly wobbly. I prefer even the Serenade film version---and do check out Vince's freshly uploaded offering here---to Giacomini's recording (and, yes, I do hear "emotion" in Lanza's rendition :))

I'm not going to try and convince you of the quality of Lanza's singing on the 1948 rendition. But I do think that you're not taking into account the primitive recording quality when you hear no hint of a potentially successful Calaf in his sound. After all, a tinnily-recorded radio broadcast from 1948 can be just as misleading (aurally) as hearing a singer in a Met HD broadcast amplified through loudspeakers in a cinema. Neither reproduction can give you an accurate idea as to how a voice might project in a large auditorium. But in Lanza's case, I do feel that if a great mezzo-soprano like Marilyn Horne, who was actually there when Lanza was rehearsing and performing at the Hollywood Bowl, judged his voice as a spinto, then that's good enough for me.

Incidentally, we have a superior reproduction of "Agnus Dei" from the same 1948 concert here:    

http://www.mariolanzatenor.com/latin-french-spanish-recordings.html

This is superb singing, and I can certainly hear a thrilling Calaf at the 2.10 mark! I wish we could find a copy of "Nessun Dorma" in equally good sound.

And if you want to hear how spinto Lanza could sound when he wanted to (and as early as 1948), check out his darkly hued "Una Furtiva Lagrima" here: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeM-kyCggss 

There's no way the tenor we hear in either of these recordings would be "eaten alive" by a soprano! 

Cheers

Derek

P.S. I'm relieved that you at least discern some merit in Lanza's recording of the Otello Monologue!

[Terri Knudsen]

Derek
You misread me. If you read my post again you will see that I in fact said TWICE that I heard future potential as Calaf but that I don't really like the renditions in his 20s and 30s.

I totally disagree with your rundown of Giacomini's voice. You and I just have different listening experiences and we're not going to agree.

Terri

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Terri: Yes, we certainly have different listening experiences when it comes to Giacomini (and especially about his upper register on "Nessun Dorma"). But let's not fall out over them!  

If you read my post again, you'll see that I'm mainly responding to your comment that Calaf is "not really a role you do till you're in your 40s." As you can see, I feel the evidence says otherwise!

I also had the impression from your evaluation of Lanza's 1948 version that it wasn't so much the way he sang it, but the spinto quality that you felt was lacking in his voice that made you give it such a poor rating. Yes, I realize that you acknowledged that he could one day be a potential Calaf, but my point in my previous post was that he already the necessary quality in his voice even in his 20s---though, ideally, he wouldn't have sung it till his 30s. (Did you listen to the other 1948 examples I gave?) On a good day, the Serenade voice (and thereafter) would have been perfect for the role, and it's a shame that neither of the 1955 takes found him at his best.

Cheers
Derek

[Terri Knudsen]

Derek

My biggest problem with the 1948 version was the slowness of it. Which was probably more due to somebody else's indulgence rather than his. It was the one best sung I thought. The scooping seemed to get worse by the recording, which I don't like in any singer.

Terri

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Terri: Yes, I'm sure the unusually slow tempo had everything to do with the conductor, Miklos Rozsa, whom Lanza---at this point in his career---would have deferred to. (The "Agnus Dei" from the same concert is also very slow.) But for me, at least, the tempo doesn't sabotage the performance. If anything, it makes me admire Mario's vocal stamina all the more---as I'm sure any decent tenor who's performed the aria in public would agree. Those long phrases also bring out a plaintive quality that we don't usually associate with this aria. I wonder what Puccini would have made of it?

Ironically, the problem with many of Lanza's other operatic recordings is that the tempo's too fast!

Scooping, by the way, was something that Lanza was only occasionally guilty of---and is mainly associated with his off-days. The infamous Lanza on Broadway album is one example. But certainly, he never scooped to the extent that, say, Corelli did.

Apart from the live 1954 "E Lucevan le Stelle" (and, I guess, most of the soundtrack to The Great Caruso), which of Lanza's operatic recordings have really impressed you? I've just realized that I know little about your Lanza likes and dislikes.

[Terri Knudsen]

Derek;

There are actually VERY few operatic recordings by Lanza that I *don't* like, so you really picked the freak of the bunch by introducing not one but three Nessun Dormas ;-) I got a box set of four (I believe) albums where there's mostly proper arias and I enjoy those. Also most of what's on youtube, of arias, are very good. In fact, whenever I introduce people to opera, I always start with Lanza because his output is such an easy one to like. What I've said before, and stand by, is that a lot of (well, most of, actually) the *other stuff* he did, I can take or leave. Except stuff like Danny Boy and You'll never walk alone (this version is my favourite *ever* of this song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOk4QaZlkrw )

Terri

[Derek McGovern]

Yikes, Terri! That "You'll Never Walk Alone" has been sped up a semitone by a nutcase Lanza fan who insists that everything on the original album---the infamous Lanza on Broadway that I mentioned earlier---was running slow. Here it is at the correct speed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMBb3sWn1Co

The depth in the voice in the beginning is impressive, but it contains way too many vocal blemishes (pitch, especially) for me, I'm afraid. But it has a lot of fans.

If you're interested, we have a lively thread on the Lanza on Broadway album here. In it, I describe "You'll Never Walk Alone" as one of two or three "marginally redeemable" tracks on the album :)

Well, if there are very few operatic Lanza recordings that you don't like, then I'm probably pickier about his singing than you are! But I do stand by my love for the 1948 "Nessun Dorma," which although not quite up with the best of Mario's operatic output, is still a very fine piece of singing in my book. More lyrical in delivery than some, sure, but in keeping with how it was first performed---and, as I said earlier, how I'm sure Puccini conceived it. I've just been reading music critic Alfredo Casella's 1926 account of the first performances (in Milan and then Rome), and he makes a point of emphasizing how the opera is true to the original Gozzi tale in terms of Calaf's "great lyrical qualities."

Cheers
Derek

[Derek McGovern]

Just a reminder that we have an earlier (2008) thread on "Nessun Dorma" that is well worth revisiting:

http://www.mariolanzatenor.com/forum-mario-lanza-tenor.html?place=topic%2Fmariolanza%2FRGtI-Fyf0tk%2Fdiscussion

[leeann]

One sure thing--decisions on "Nessun Dorma" have NOT been a sure thing, and I think I'm going to beg context. The 1948 version has thrilled me countless times since I first heard it on the album accompanying An American Tragedy.  And still does.

It seems as if "Nessun Dorma" is expected to accomplish quite a bit in Turandot, both in terms of the plot and the musical line: tell us more about Calaf, set the stage for the unfolding Act III, build the involvement the community of characters in the opera, hint at Turandot's character change. Whew.

But I can't help thinking that while the 1948 rendition is so beautifully suited to the concert stage--the outtake seems more expressive, more dramatic, closer to what Lanza might have given to us in an opera production where the complexities of this aria seem overwhelming. (Of course, conjecture is dangerous, but come on. Lanza would've knocked it out of the ballpark.)

Some time ago, I mentioned how ignorant I feel about aspects of opera and Lou Abada suggested this resource on YouTube: Nicolas Reveles and SanDiego Opera Talk!  In 30 minutes, Reveles goes through the background, musical structure, performances, and sundry information about individual operas, and it's great. Here's  his discussion of Turandot--definitely a great quick fix on the fascinating backstory of Puccini's unfinished work and how it was received.

And here, picking up on the conversations in the thread Derek linked to above, Pavarotti  and Monserrat Caballe talk about the challenges of the role--what it meant to move from lighter roles to the heavy drama of Turandot after they sang together at the San Francisco opera.  Easy listening. Best, Lee Ann

[Michael McAdam]

In brief: the 1948 version: excellent! (slow or not).

The 1955 unpublished outtake: good but a bit too sobby in the wrong places ("Vincero!") to rate higher.

The 1955 film/released take:  so-so (ditto for too sobby); also Lanza's lower register on 2nd "nessun dorma'" at beginning a bit shaky.

M.

[Barnabas Nemeth]

For me:

The 1948 version: so-so (too slow, the voice fresh but thin, powerless).

1955 unplublished: not bad but intonation is average.

1955 film version: I listened it again from the new DVD: much better than earlier or on CD. All in all, excellent with minor mistakes.

 

Barnabas

[norma]

Dear Terri

                      Please could you give me some examples of "scooping up to the notes" in the outake of Nessun Dorma.Not being an opera expert I never notice  them when Mario sings.

                                                                                                                               Best Wishes Norma

[Derek McGovern]

It's fascinating to see how differently everyone has reacted to these three recordings!

If we had a 4.5/5 rating available, that's what I'd give the 1948 "Nessun Dorma"---but since we don't, I'm giving it a 5/5 :) It's a wonderful piece of singing, and by far the best of the three in my opinion. Barnabas: It only sounds "thin-voiced" because of the poor sound quality. Remember that "Agnus Dei" from the concert sounded equally as thin until we managed to locate a fuller, richer reproduction. And I certainly don't find it "powerless"---quite the opposite, in fact.

There are only a couple of things I'd quibble about on the 1948 version, and, when all's said and done, for a 27-year-old to be singing this well in a live setting is quite remarkable. 

For me, the 1955 versions are just not in the same class, either vocally or stylistically. Although Mario does sound significantly better on the new DVD copy of the film version than we've heard before---and thanks again, Vince, for uploading it!---it's obvious that he's not in the same magnificent vocal form that he was just two days earlier, when he recorded the Otello duet (with Gloria Boh) and Monologue. As Shawn pointed out earlier, his voice doesn't have its "usual fullness and color" (especially on the outtake), although the high notes are exciting. He was probably just tired. After all, on the day that he recorded the two takes of "Nessun Dorma," he also recorded three takes of "My Destiny" and two of "Serenade," along with a retake of a portion of the Otello duet (subsequently unused).

Of these, "Serenade" (the version that ends the film) is easily the worst vocal performance, while "My Destiny" (commercial version with orchestra) is probably the best. But the problem is that Mario also sings "Nessun Dorma" as though it were "My Destiny"! In his approach to the aria, he's just too overwrought---or "sobby," as Mike would say. I also never get the sense on either take that he's in complete control of his voice.

I'm giving both takes a stingy 2/5 (2.5 would be perfect, but we don't have that option---and 3/5 is too high, I feel). I've changed my tune a bit here, as I no longer feel that the outtake is superior to the film version. Vocally, I prefer the film take in certain places (especially those three successive high As in the first half) and the outtake in others ("Dilegua, o notte/Tramontate stelle"). Neither version begins well, with Lanza (oddly enough) more comfortable in his lower register on the 1948 version than in 1955, as he goes from a D on the opening (title) words to a D an octave lower when he repeats them. Normally the lower D wouldn't be a problem for him, especially by 1955---another indication that, vocally, things weren't quite right.

Having said that, below par or not, both 1955 versions would have thrilled a live audience, who, if I'm being honest, probably wouldn't have objected to the histrionics or the various vocal flaws, especially (as Lee Ann points out) in a staged production.  

Lee Ann: I really enjoyed Nick Reveles talk on Turandot. He's a charming host. While I can't say I share his enthusiasm for the Sutherland/Pavarotti recording of the opera (and was disappointed that he didn't mention the beautifully sung though poorly conducted Caballe/Carreras/Freni version from 1978), he certainly did a fine job of introducing the work.

Cheers
Derek

[Barnabas Nemeth]

You may be right if the "thin voiced" is caused by the poor sound quality. It is same case of the "Agnus Dei" too, where the tempi is too slow in my mind. For me, this song does not suit to a very young man at an age of 27. He would have sung it far better later, especially in 1955 or so.

 

Barnabas

[Terri Knudsen]

Hi Norma

Sorry for the late response. Things are absolutely crazy at work. First off, I'm not an expert by any stretch, and I can be accused of nitpicking at times (and I expect Derek will pick me to pieces for this - lol).

So, what scooping is, is basically beginning a note beneath its pitch, then sliding up to the correct pitch. People like Sinatra did it for a living ;-) Mario isn't really a big sinner at it, and I might have been particularly sensitive to it on the day that I listened to it last week, but nonetheless; some examples in the 1955 version (outtake) in bold:

He pretty much starts out with it in the first "nessun dorma". Or it may sound like it cause the arrangement is ever so slightly... indulgent. In fact, all his scoops may be because of this, as he doesn't do it (much) in the faster, released version from 1955 (though he actually seems to do it less prominent in the REALLY slow 1948 version, which is curious).

Anyway, then on:
...è chiuso in me...
...sulla tua bocca lo... 
...splenderà...
...scioglierà il silenzio...
the first ...notte tramontate, stelle... (in my opinion, his "tramontate" is probably the worst scoop on this version)
the last ...vincerò...

Some of these may be his way of putting emotion into it as well, but whatever he does... when it's too much throughout it irritates the living daylight out of me. Most of'em do it to a certain extent, though, and as I said I don't find that Mario is usually a "sinner" when it comes to scooping - so I've dug out someone who's notorious at it:

Jose Cura: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxNM0uG_CMc  (nevermind that he pretty well does everything twice the speed just to get through it...)

Best
Terri

[norma]

Dear Terri

                Thanks for your information but I still couldn`t pick out the scooping.Could you give me an example of someone who sings this aria without any scoop.ing? Sorry but I am beginning to realise how operatic singing must be so difficult.

 

                                                                                                                                   Best Wishes

                                                                                                                                                 Norma

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Terri: I don't agree that Lanza's "scooping" on all of the examples you gave. On the second high A ("bocca"), yes, but not elsewhere. That squeezed "Tramontate" lacks resonance---and Mario mispronounces it (though only on the 1955 released version) as "tremontate"---so it's poor for reasons other than scooping :) On the other examples you gave, I don't hear scooping; I simply hear emotion.

I'm surprised you're so tough on him here, but not on the 1956 "You'll Never Walk Alone," which suffers from a host of sins: rampant mispitching, forcing, bleariness, etc.

By the way, the 1948 performance doesn't have a different "arrangement"---it's simply conducted at a slower tempo.

Cheers
Derek

[Derek McGovern]

I thought I'd bump this old thread back into prominence for anyone who might care to comment on it. There's some interesting stuff here, including some spirited posts from Terri (who seems to have abandoned us since her last post on this thread!).  

I still feel that the 1948 "Nessun Dorma" is head and shoulders above the two 1955 versions, and I'm convinced that if its detractors could hear past the poor sound quality (which does Lanza no favours whatsoever), they'd discover a great piece of live singing. 

[Derek McGovern]

As I just mentioned on another thread, the 1948 "Nessun Dorma" can now be heard here (on our main site) in better sound quality than ever before, thanks to the remastering talent of Capt. Mike McAdam.  

[simon...@gmail.com]

I read with great interest the many comments and opinions, I rarely comment, but unlike YT etc, this site is worth spending time on. The fact is that Lanza should have and could have easily been the most acclaimed opera tenor in the 50s and 60s and probably into the 70s if his life wasn't destroyed as so many were by Hollywood. He is still the most influential tenor in the history of recording since Caruso by the sheer number of people who's lives were affected by him. Since then only the big three, Pav, Dom & Car have had such an impact on the world and they were all apostles of Lanza.

If he had continued path he was and he continued to study as he had done before the release of "That Midnight Kiss" he would have been capable of anything in the world of opera. As it was he was ripped away and turned into a film star. The wounds from that brief life obviously took a long time to heal, and the damaged to his health was already done.

Regardless of some of the technicalities faced by musicians to conform to everyone's expectations, and this is especially the case for Opera singers, Lanza had the greatest voice at 30 ever and possessed the most unique talent to relay passion in his voice the world has known. He also was second to none singing in English! His ability to maintain perfect English vowels up to high D set the standard, other' try and generally fail to follow!      

[Derek McGovern]

Thanks for your very enthusiastic post, Simon, and welcome to the forum!

I also feel that if Lanza hadn't been lured to Hollywood, he would have gone on to become the leading lirico spinto tenor of his generation. He had everything going for him---except that crucial inner security, and for that reason Hollywood was the worst possible environment for him to have been in.  

Incidentally, since you're a tenor yourself and you've made your first post on a thread devoted to comparing Lanza's three recordings of "Nessun dorma," I'm curious to know which of his renditions you liked the most!

Cheers,

Derek