Rating Lanza's 1959 albums: from the best to the worst
Derek McGovern
I've been playing a lot of Lanza's 1959 recordings recently in the wake of our recent thread on the remake of The Student Prince, and I've come to the conclusion that The Vagabond King represents the best of the four English-language albums that Mario made between April and September of his final year. Ironically, it's also the worst recorded of all his 1959 recordings, but if you can get past the ever-present distortion and tinny sound, then what emerges is some impressive singing.
The only way to hear this album, in my opinion, is on the 2006 Super Audio CD (SACD), not the earlier BMG CD or any of its LP incarnations. Having said that, the best reproduction of the Only a Rose duet with Raskin remains the one heard on Lanza's very first CD: the 1987 BMG disc Mario Lanza: The Legendary Tenor. Interestingly, in his review of that album, the distinguished critic Henry Fogel singled out Mario's "elegant" singing on the 1959 Only a Rose, writing that it was almost worth the price of the CD alone. And it is an elegant performance, with (among other things) a beautifully sustained ending that's really quite a model of taste.
To my ears, the weakest tracks on the album are Song of the Vagabonds and Some Day, with Lanza sounding very laboured on both of them. Putting aside his health problems at the time, it's not surprising at all that he sounds tired at times given the madness of his (or was it RCA's?) decision to record the entire album in one session. Some Day was also the last track recorded.
As one might expect, however, the first track recorded was also one of the best: the thrilling Love Me Tonight. Listen to his first high A (on "hours"), in particular, as the man shakes off his ailments (and transcends the poor recording quality) and recaptures all the excitement of his most celebrated singing. Here, the SACD reissue truly comes into its own, with Lanza no longer sounding as wobbly in his lower notes, and the disconcerting splice in the middle of the
song (during the orchestral bridge) now removed.
The other highlights for me are Nocturne (apart from a slightly lethargic start), with its haunting reflectiveness and the wonderful ring to Lanza's high notes, the aforementioned Only a Rose and its reprise in the exciting finale (great B-flat from Lanza at the end), and the Drinking Song. A *small* number of highlights, perhaps, but certainly no fewer than those found on The Desert Song and The Student Prince. (Then there's the 1959 Christmas album, which contains
virtually no highlights!)
I have a lot more to say about Lanza's 1959 recordings, but for now I'd like to hear what others here think...
Derek McGovern
Mario! album and The Vagabond King) is a major improvement on the
earlier (1995) CD of the same name. Admittedly, the Mario! album
selections are the main beneficiary of the superior sound quality
here, but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by The Vagabond King,
which features less distortion than I've heard before on this album.
And, yes, it's a *hybrid* SACD, which means that it can be played on
any conventional CD player. It sounds great on my car stereo, and on
any CD player that I've played it on. (Lou, however, found that it
wouldn't work on one of her players.) Although for some strange
reason, amazon.co.uk site lists the CD as requiring a SACD system,
amazon.com makes it clear that it is compatible with conventional
players. Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Mario-Lanza-at-His-Best/dp/B000E1NWHI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1214247277&sr=1-2
Highly recommended!
Derek McGovern
> I have been revisiting the 1959 Student Prince.
> The stereo LP version and it's a lot, lot better than I remembered, it
> didn't seem half as bad as it's sometimes painted.
>
Den: I agree that the 1959 Student Prince isn't nearly as bad as it's
been described by various "experts", the unfortunate Beloved
notwithstanding! The main problems with the album are a) the poor
sound quality on many (though not all) of the tracks, b) the
indifferent arrangements, c) the obvious lack of rapport between Lanza
and conductor Baron, and d) Mario's health problems, which affect not
only his energy level at times, but also the timbre of his voice,
which is unusually harsh on Golden Days, I'll Walk With God, (the
second half of) Serenade, and Beloved. Significantly, these four songs
were recorded in that order, and probably all at the same session -- a
day when he obviously wasn't well at all. On the final two tracks that
Lanza recorded for the album -- Drink! Drink! Drink! and Deep In My
Heart, Dear -- he sounds better vocally, and I'm sure these were made
on another (happier) day. In fact, there are some beautiful, youthful
touches on Deep In My Heart, especially on the lines "As deep in the
shadow your eyes look in mine" and the very sensitively rendered "Your
love in the heart of a rose."
Of course, RCA didn't help matters by adding a ridiculous amount of
echo to the second half of both the Serenade and I'll Walk With God,
removing all warmth from the sound and completely spoiling the
performances. (The echo is not there on the raw versions.) In fact,
the sound quality is so variable on this album that you'd swear that
there were *two* tenors performing on it! On track #5, for example,
Lanza sounds very much like his old self on the warmly recorded
Summertime in Heidelberg; on the next track (I'll Walk With God), it's
as if a much older tenor has suddenly joined the album. Then it's back
to near-prime Lanza on Thoughts Will Come to Me. Very disconcerting!
But as Armando has written, if one actually focuses purely on Lanza's
*singing*, rather than on the uncharacteristic coarseness of his
timbre, on, say, I'll Walk With God, then what emerges is a committed,
dramatic and ultimately moving performance. (Incidentally, he even
sings the line "I'll *pray* to him" better than he does on the
original.)
Strangely, Paul Baron insisted to me that he'd chosen soprano Norma
Giusti to sing with Lanza on this album because she was the kind of
woman who could put up with his supposed misbehaviour. But as we now
know, Giusti never even met Lanza, and she recorded her contributions
separately in New York two weeks before his death. In fact, one member
of the old Lanza Yahoo forum -- James Kilbourne -- actually knew
Giusti, and confirmed all this. I wonder why Baron felt compelled to
lie?
Vince Di Placido
& from work & as always I was amazed at how bad Mario's voice was
recorded, it seems to me that the vocal microphone is just not right,
I mean the orchestra has none of the distortion & tinniness that
Mario's voice has on his microphone, in fact the orchestra usually
sounds quite lush & well recorded on the 1959 recordings. What was
going on & what kind of microphone was being placed in front of
Mario's mouth? Mario's voice was admittedly darker & he was tired &
run down in 1959 but something else is happening on these recordings
through that vocal microphone & I just can't put my finger on it.
I played Love Me Tonight several times today & Mario is just glorious,
absolutely in his element in this type of material, his intelligence &
understanding of phrasing was really reaching new levels in the late
50's, it is just such a shame that his health couldn't hold up...
Derek McGovern
I've struggled to put my finger on what the problem is so many of the
1959 recordings. On all three Baron albums, as you say, the orchestra
is lushly recorded -- and without a hint of the distortion that mars
Lanza's vocals. And yet on his very last recordings, most notably on
One Alone and Azuri's Dance, he's very well captured, with all the
warmth and bloom in his voice suddenly restored. If only all his 1959
material was as well recorded!!
I also agree with you wholeheartedly about the intelligence and
musicality of his singing during the last year of his life. In fact, I
was struck by this for the umpteenth time while listening to his Pour
un Baiser and Ideale last night.
Derek McGovern
http://www.4shared.com/file/52599670/e59ccb05/One_Alone__raw_version_without_chorus_.html
Lanza is a little tired here, but it's a beautiful performance nonetheless -- and streets ahead of his earlier Coke version. I'm always deeply moved by it. And the voice itself is in fine fettle: a gloriously resonant and burnished sound.
Joe Fagan
in poor health or not!
Joe
Lou
while", there would be years and years more of such glorious singing
from him.
Derek, I wonder whether you could also share with us the *raw* version
of Azuri's Dance.
Sam
Thank you, my friend, for the chance to hear the raw "One Alone".
I always loved this song (as well as other cuts on the Desert Song
album), but hearing it this way reduced me to tears (of joy). Again,
thanks so much for what you do!
On Jun 25, 5:20 am, Den <dennis.w...@uwclub.net> wrote:
> Hi Derek
> I did mean the album, I wasn't being critical of Mario's voice as
> such, but the whole production, there are times during the session
> when it sounds as if Mario is in competition with just about anyone
> or
> everyone who is involved with the recording sessions
> He dosen't always win
> Even Callinicos and the orchestra sound far too loud on occasion
> I look forward to listening to the "raw version of One Alone, thanks
> for that Derek
> Den
>
> On Jun 24, 11:33 pm, "Derek McGovern" <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com>
>
>
>
> > Hi Den: By "The Desert Song", I take it you mean the album rather than just the title song? Overall, though, as I mentioned earlier in this thread, I feel that it was the best recorded of Lanza's five 1959 albums. That's not to say that the sound quality was anything to write home about, but if you listen to the *raw* versions of these recordings -- in other words, before RCA added its echo, choruses, and other singers -- the sound is actually quite acceptable. Have a listen to the original version of One Alone before all the tampering:
>
>
> > Lanza is a little tired here, but it's a beautiful performance nonetheless -- and streets ahead of his earlier Coke version. I'm always deeply moved by it. And the voice itself is in fine fettle: a gloriously resonant and burnished sound.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Derek McGovern
Lou: Here's the raw version of Azuri's Dance. I'm not sure if you'll be able to play it, however -- it's a wav file rather than an MP3. Also, the sound quality is not as good as on some of the other "raw" Desert Song material. (I'd say it's a copy of a copy of a copy.) But give it a try, and let me know how you get on:
http://www.4shared.com/file/52739812/502e990f/Azuris_Dance.html
Incidentally, the correct title of this song is Soft as a Pigeon. Azuri's Dance is a separate entity in the libretto, I believe, and, as you'd expect, refers to the non-vocal part of this scene in the operetta.
Derek McGovern
> I played Love Me Tonight several times today & Mario is just glorious,
> absolutely in his element in this type of material, his intelligence &
> understanding of phrasing was really reaching new levels in the late
> 50's, it is just such a shame that his health couldn't hold up...
Just returning to this earlier post of yours, Vince, I was reminded of
the impact that Love Me Tonight once had on a very literate, musical
friend of mine many years ago. This woman was a huge Lanza admirer who
had recently discovered his singing, but -- like many people -- had
assumed that by 1959 his voice was no longer what it had once been.
She'd come to this conclusion mainly from listening to the 1959
Christmas album -- an understandable enough assumption!
Anyway, she'd never heard any of the recordings from The Vagabond
King, so without telling her anything about the recording (or when it
was made), I put on Love Me Tonight for her. (It was from a Reader's
Digest LP set with pretty good sound.) Well! She was thrilled by it,
immediately declaring that it was one of the most gloriously romantic
pieces of singing she'd heard from him. She loved Mario's phrasing,
commenting on his "earthy, sensual" approach here, wasn't bothered in
the least by the odd vocal blemish (the shaky intonation on the
downward "tonight" at the end of the first half & the wobble on "love"
that follows) and was quite taken aback by his soaring high As. Then I
told her that the recording was from 1959, and she was dumbfounded!
The bottom line for me is that regardless of the fact that quite a few
of the 1959 recordings are understandably well below par (especially
the Christmas album), the gems scattered among those last albums more
than compensate for the lesser moments. But I still think that it
would have been far more helpful for Lanza's legacy if RCA had elected
to release only the *highlights* from The Vagabond King, Desert Song,
and Student Prince recordings -- say, on a single disc -- together
with the entire Caruso Favorites, rather than issuing so many patchy
albums simply because they had been recorded in stereo.
Lou
Dance. Yes, I'm able to play it. Lanza's expressive, youthful-sounding
voice more than compensates for any shortcoming in sound quality. I've
always had a problem making out some of the lyrics (for example,
before this, I thought "soft as a pigeon" was "soft as a virgin"), but
I know it's just me, not Lanza's diction.
I'm surprised to learn from you that Lanza was singing to a pre-
recorded accompaniment. I would have thought he would find the mere
suggestion of it insulting. Is his agreement to perform "karaoke-
style" a reflection on his bargaining power with the recording
company?
Muriel
what he said about this different type of recording. As Derek stated,
Mario fell ill with pneumonia and a partial pulmonary obstruction from
a blood clot during the time they were recording The Desert Song LP.
According to Costa, the initial session took place in the beginning of
August, but after only two songs, the session was terminated, as the
orchestra was "mediocre" and had to be replaced. Costa says Mario was
at his best at this session. By the second session, with a good
orchestra, Mario had begun to drink again and that one failed as well.
Mario was not up to working at the scheduled third session, and it was
then that Callinicos decided to go ahead and record the orchestra
alone, figuring he would bring Mario to the studio when he felt
better, to voice over the orchestra tracks.
After Mario was released from the clinic, he began another diet and
seemed to be more hopeful about working, so they prepared to finish
the Desert Song recordings. This is what Costa wrote: "Now I started
on a process of dubbing, which I had never done before with Mario.
With Betty in the control booth, the engineer would play the record
from Desert Song once; Mario and I would listen intently in the
studio. Then the record would be played over again, and this time
Mario would sing to it, with me conducting just a few feet away. The
third time Mario's voice would actually be recorded. Then we would go
to the control room to listen to the synchronization. When we were
satisfied with what we'd done, we would go on to the next recording.
We repeated no song more than once. After we had completed two
recordings, Mario was so elated by this second-rate technique that he
asked me to make all of our future records that way."
You notice that Costa referred to a "second-rate technique" of
recording. He recognized this himself, but obviously, Mario found it
to be much easier and seemed happy! I suppose RCA was pleased to have
a finished product and didn't have a problem with how it was done.
I'll say more about my thoughts on One Alone a little later. It is
very near and dear to my heart.....
Muriel
this lovely song a while ago:
But the song I want to dwell on today – on Mario’s birthday - is one
from The Vagabond King collection on this CD. Yes, his singing
was not as flawless as on the preceding tracks. In fact, he was quite
ill when he recorded these songs, but I don’t hear that in this
particular song. As I listened to Love Me Tonight, I was suddenly
aware of more than the context of the story this came from. I heard
Mario asking me (and all others listening) to love him, and remember
him. “The hours that we know, measure our dream of delight.” Oh, how
he soars as he sings this! We are swept up and become eager to go
along to wherever he chooses to lead us. We know he will not let us
down.
Mario was the consummate Pied Piper. All he had to do was sing in
his glorious way, and we were charmed, even hypnotized, by the sound.
Oh, of course we know that he did not always sing perfectly, but, to
this day, he still has a certain magnetism that fascinates us and
makes us stop to devote our attention to him. He sings to each one of
us personally. We recognize this unconsciously and are compelled to
respond with all our senses.
But – back to the song. He begins with captivating tenderness, “Love
me tonight, now, while I long for you. Love that in a day may be
dying, that sorrow will never renew”. He seamlessly builds up to the
climactic line I quoted before, “The hours that we know, measure our
dream of delight”. We involuntarily take in a deep breath at this
point and wait to hear what it is he desires. “Sweetheart, before they
go………love me – love me – to-night……” And so he has made his plaintive
plea, sincerely and lovingly. His impeccable phrasing contributes to
the sublime enjoyment of this song. We are never aware of his
breathing and his words glide along smoothly as raindrops falling on
glass. How can one resist? Surely I cannot.
And, so, my dear Mario, the hours we know you, are the hours that
measure our dreams of delight. It is my hope that others will say the
very same thing a hundred years from now….
Can you tell this song moved me???? Ciao, Muriel
On Jun 25, 6:24 pm, "Derek McGovern" <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
Derek McGovern
I took the opportunity of re-reading Callinicos' book when I was
staying with Armando in January, and I was surprised by the number of
glaring inconsistencies in it. Callinicos gets all sorts of things
wrong, eg, the details (including even the month) regarding the second
of Lanza's Albert Hall concerts -- even though he was writing in 1960,
only two years after the event -- and he states, rather implausibly,
that The Vagabond King was their finest collaboration. Then there's
the tale about Mario recording The Lord's Prayer in September 1959...
As far as The Desert Song is concerned, though, I think Callinicos is
telling the truth when he says that the first two tracks were recorded
with the orchestra present. While listening yesterday to the Riff
Song, which was the second thing they recorded (the first was Then You
Will Know), it struck me that the orchestra *was* with him -- and it
was only then that I remembered that Callinicos had stated that this
was the case for the first two tracks. For one thing, Lanza is
"letting loose" here in a way that he would only have been able to do
if the orchestra were accompanying him, rather than the other way
round. But Callinicos is way off the mark when he claims that on these
first two tracks Mario was "at his best". (Interestingly, though,
Lanza sounds very youthful on the Riff Song; but Then You Will Know is
another matter!)
I find it hard to believe that Lanza would been "elated" by the
"second-rate technique" of singing to a pre-recorded accompaniment.
It's more likely that he agreed to do it simply because he wanted to
get the project completed. It had gone on long enough, and the man was
very tired. Quite possibly, in his weakened state, he may have felt
relieved not to be facing a live orchestra, but there's no way that a
healthy Lanza would have contemplated such a restrictive recording
technique.
Muriella: I'm glad you reprised your lovely post on Love Me Tonight!
Lou
recording of The Desert Song album, and Derek, for your own take on
the subject. It breaks my heart to imagine Mario struggling to get
the project completed despite his failing health, so much so that he
agreed to use a "second-rate technique" that must have offended his
artistic sensibilities.
I haven't read Callinicos' book, and I don't think I will, now that
Derek has pointed out that there are a number of "glaring
inconsistencies" in it. Whenever I spot an obvious, avoidable
inconsistency or an outright lie in a book or article, I stop reading
because I lose trust in the author’s integrity and/or professionalism
and therefore don’t know what to make of the rest of his material. I
can believe those passages that support my preconceived notions and
reject those that don’t, but that, of course, is just a waste of time.
Derek McGovern
> Thanks for making my mind up, the disc is everything that you said it
> was.
> Thanks again
> Den
Good for you, Den. It's wonderful being able to hear the "Mario!"
album -- for once! -- with the perfect balance between Lanza and
Ferrara's excellent orchestra, and in the best-possible sound. (The
mono version had the orchestra too far forward on most of the tracks,
almost submerging Mario at times, while the stereo version on both LP
and the 1995 CD suffered from the reverse problem.) I'm still hoping
that we'll eventually get to hear the Caruso Favorites album in this
SACD format as well.
Muriel
Here is a man who is clearly tired, but he sings this song with a
mellow elegance that is more moving to me than many other, better
compositions. He sings slowly, but surely, probably because of the
necessity to synchronize with the pre-recorded orchestra track. There
is no embellishment here, just beautiful singing. I always love
hearing Mario with only the accompaniment of orchestra, and no other
distractions.
I suppose I've told this story a thousand times, but this might
explain my affinity to this particular song. One night, as I was
listening to the One Alone CD, I dozed off and awoke to:".....yet I
keep on longing just to rest awhile...". It hit me that he was talking
to me, telling me he was leaving. Of course, hindsight is hard to
ignore, and he did leave a short time later. But - it made a lasting
impression on me which I'll never forget.
The lyrics go: "At her call, I give my all...." and he certainly did
exactly that, until the end. His phrasing never falters. Listen to the
end of each line, especially, "...the one my worshipping *soul*
possesses. At her call I give my all, all my life and all my *love*
enduring." The ending is exceptionally strong, as he sings, "...if she
were mine aloooooooone." That last word never fails to brings tears
flowing. It might not be his definitive last word ever, but he didn't
run out of steam and it is a memorable ending to the voice that loved
to bring beauty to the world.
On Jun 24, 6:33 pm, "Derek McGovern" <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Den: By "The Desert Song", I take it you mean the album rather than just the title song? Overall, though, as I mentioned earlier in this thread, I feel that it was the best recorded of Lanza's five 1959 albums. That's not to say that the sound quality was anything to write home about, but if you listen to the *raw* versions of these recordings -- in other words, before RCA added its echo, choruses, and other singers -- the sound is actually quite acceptable. Have a listen to the original version of One Alone before all the tampering:
>
Muriel
It's true that Costa had a number of facts wrong. It surpises me, as
the book was written a relatively short time after Mario's death, and
you'd think he should have better recall. I'm not convinced Mario was
"elated" either, but considering his frail state of health, I'm sure
he didn't mind taking this shortcut this time. There are places where
I hear inklings of Mario and orchestra not in synch. For example: the
second verse of One Alone, "One Alone, to be my own, I alone to know
her caresses.." and the beginning of the last line is a bit off, I
think.
I forgot to mention another line I'm particularly fond of. I love the
way Mario presents a tender meaning to: "...all the world forgotten,
in one woman's smile.." Listen to how "forgotten" is ever so slightly
heightened - very emotional to me.
Lou; I know what you mean about not wanting to waste time trying to
figure out the truth from the ornamentations. Who has that much time,
anyway???
Derek McGovern
Yes, you're right that Mario and the orchestra aren't quite in sync in
a couple of places on One Alone. But if there's one good thing that
can be said for the pre-recorded accompaniment here, it's the fact
that the slow tempo contributes to the poignancy of Mario's rendition.
Had the orchestra actually been present when he was singing, I suspect
that Callinicos would have opted for a faster tempo.
I was just thinking that it's possible that One Alone was recorded at
Lanza's final recording session. According to the matrix numbers, four
more numbers came after it, but it's certainly conceivable that all
five could have been recorded on the same day. The only thing that
casts doubt on this is the fact that the One Alone *reprise* came next
-- and, my goodness, what a difference there is between this recording
and the full version of the song. On the reprise (which, to date, has
only been issued on the 3-CD BMG set The Mario Lanza Collection), poor
Mario is struggling badly, and I'm not surprised it was never released
on the original Desert Song LP. But then on the very next thing he
recorded (Azuri's Dance), he was back in form again!
Certainly, the last two Desert Song numbers recorded (I Want a Kiss
and One Good Boy Gone Wrong) sound as though they made on the same
day. But nothing is ever straightforward on the 1959 recordings! Just
listen, for example, to Some Day on The Vagabond King. Even on the
SACD, this song sounds absolutely dreadful (in terms of recording
quality), and yet some of the other tracks from the same album (and,
of course, the same session) don't sound nearly as bad. Bizarre!
Derek McGovern
aficionados would rate Mario's third 1959 album, Mario Lanza Sings
Caruso Favorites, as the best of the recordings that he made during
the final six months of his life. (Derek Mannering's a rare exception:
he argues that overall The Desert Song represents Lanza's best 1959
work.) In the wake of this thread, I recently revisited Caruso
Favorites, and I found that my admiration for this album was as great
as ever. While vocally speaking it's not up to the standard of the
magnificent "Mario!" LP of six months earlier -- and the album
features a more subdued Lanza compared with the man whom we hear in
December 1958 -- some of the *singing* here ranks alongside the best
of his career. Let's hope that one day someone sees fit to remaster
the entire album to the same level of quality that we hear on the five
tracks featured from this disc on the Encore double CD. Better still,
let's have it released in the SACD format and on the same disc as the
Mario! album!
Some of our newer members (not to mention visitors to this site) may
be unaware that we've discussed the Caruso Favorites album on three
separate threads:
Caruso Favorites
http://groups.google.co.nz/group/mariolanza/browse_thread/thread/40aab58301da34a3?hl=en#
Lanza Sings Tosti
http://groups.google.co.nz/group/mariolanza/browse_thread/thread/475581a88a373bef?hl=en#
L'Alba Separa dalla Luce l'Ombra
http://groups.google.co.nz/group/mariolanza/browse_thread/thread/392d1caaf449458d?hl=en#
I've just been re-reading the above, and -- goodness!!! -- there are
some wonderful, insightful posts on all three threads. It's a
privilege for me to share this forum with so many talented writers and
truly musical souls, and it's discussion threads like these --
focusing on Lanza's actual singing -- that remind me of the reason I
created this site in the first place. I would hate for these posts to
be forgotten, and I heartily recommend them to anyone who cares about
the legacy of Mario Lanza.
Derek McGovern
The Great Neapolitan Song thread. Senza Nisciuno from Caruso Favorites
is discussed here, along with some of the highlights from the Mario!
album:
http://groups.google.co.nz/group/mariolanza/browse_thread/thread/e410c76141225845?hl=en#
Vince Di Placido
was taken by a recording I have only maybe listened to once before, it
is the reprise/finale of "Only A Rose". I don't know what it is
exactly that moved me, possibly because it was one of Mario's last
recordings & I was picturing Mario singing alone in an arrangement
written to include soprano & chorus that he never got to hear... Mario
has some lovely gentle moments, he is phrasing very well & has a
beautiful high note finish.
here is the Finale:
http://www.4shared.com/file/57608537/7cd27de6/Vagabond_King-Finale.html
On Jun 22, 11:22 pm, "Derek McGovern" <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com>
wrote:
I'd imagine that most Lanza aficionados would rate Mario Lanza Sings
Caruso Favorites as the best of his five 1959 LPs (I certainly would).
There's a lot that's memorable about it, and nothing downright bad on
the album (though Santa Lucia, with its inappropriately heavyhanded
arrangement, and the lack-lustre Lolita are well below the standard
achieved on at least half of the 12 tracks). But what of the four
remaining albums that Lanza recorded during the final months of his
life? Which of them constitutes his best singing, and which is his
worst?
Derek McGovern
wrote:
> I listened again to the "Mario!/Vagabond King" SACD this morning & I
> was taken by a recording I have only maybe listened to once before, it
> is the reprise/finale of "Only A Rose". I don't know what it is
> exactly that moved me, possibly because it was one of Mario's last
> recordings & I was picturing Mario singing alone in an arrangement
> written to include soprano & chorus that he never got to hear... Mario
> has some lovely gentle moments, he is phrasing very well & has a
> beautiful high note finish.
>
> here is the Finale:
>
> http://www.4shared.com/file/57608537/7cd27de6/Vagabond_King-Finale.html
the 1959 Only a Rose finale; in fact, he holds it even longer than he
does on his thrilling 1956 version.
Maria Luísa
about his never ending supreme last note?! The only proper word for it
is just SUPERB. Thank you very much Vince for the link. Magnífico.
Derek McGovern
This really is a thrilling piece of singing. The tessitura of the song is very difficult indeed---requiring tremendous vocal strength and a fearless upper register---and Lanza is more than up to the challenge. Listen to him soar on the fiendishly tricky "harem," for starters. But what's remarkable is how youthful and bright Lanza's voice is here. It's almost a return to his pre-Serenade sound. I would love to have heard him his The Student Prince remake with this voice, as opposed to the much heavier sound we hear on that album.
Cheers
Derek
P.S. If you're wondering why there are so many deleted posts in this thread, it's because a former member from the UK (Den) decided to remove all his posts before he left us!
norma
Derek McGovern
Cheers
Derek
Derek McGovern
Soft as a pigeon lights upon the sand,
Swift as a tiger she will grip his hand,
Claws of a tiger sharp with fury,
So is the maid Azuri.
Soft as a pigeon lights upon the sand,
Swift as a tiger she will grip his hand,
Claws of a tiger sharp with fury,
???????
Ah, ah, ah! x3
Derek McGovern
The final lines:
One more victim picked
Once more sex has clicked!
One more saphead who's been tricked and trap-ped
Just another boy gone wrong!
Maybe not the most dignified lyrics to bow out with, but there's something a little wryly appropriate about those last two lines...
leeann
But for modern times, I kind of agree with a revue from New York Magazine during a revival by City Opera in 1987 that featured a dynamic acting cast: "...a Romberg operetta today can hardly be expected to survive on voice alone."
So, with the exception of "One Alone," I listen to these selections just to hear Lanza's voice, not because the songs are on my own personal Top 40. Thrilling does it for me with "Azuri's Dance" and "One Flower Grows...". The strength of the voice and the control on these tracks you've shared, Derek, is breathtaking. (Yes, "One Good Boy Gone Wrong" too, but I really think that's just a silly song. Probably in the context of the total stage performance, it fares better.)
These recordings, like so many others, really seem to confirm that Lanza (when physically able) was really getting better and better as he matured and evidence just doesn't support critics who denigrate his work in 1958 and 1959. Repetitious, I know, but it seems necessary to keep repeating that concept. Thanks so much for making these available. Best, Lee Ann
Derek McGovern
Hi Lee Ann
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on these 1959 recordings. I certainly agree that The Desert Song is a terribly dated operetta; in fact, even *melodically* it's not nearly as good as some of Romberg's other works---One Alone and the soprano's winsomely plaintive (and seldom heard) Romance being among the few highlights. Most of the score is pretty trite, really. (Could there be anything more banal than, say, I Want a Kiss?!)
While I can understand RCA wanting Lanza to revisit The Student Prince in stereo, asking him to record creaky operettas that were old-fashioned even in 1959 was a peculiar use of his talents. If they wanted show tunes from him, they should have opted instead for another Cavalcade-type album with updated arrangements and the choice of the best songs from Broadway's finest offerings, not a spotty mix of assorted characters' numbers (and of varying quality) as on The Desert Song. Who was RCA trying to please? Broadway fans would have been disappointed by the weird decision to have Lanza sing different characters' songs~creating a rather "inauthentic" Album of the Show~while many Lanza admirers, if truth be told, wouldn't have been interested in an album with a fair amount of non-Lanza time, courtesy of Judith Raskin & co.
I guess a third album of Neapolitan/Italian songs would have been considered overkill by RCA in 1959, but in lieu of that genre or an album of operatic arias, I'd happily have settled for a collection of sacred songs. (There were rumours at the time of Mario's death that he was going to record such an album. Better that than dreary Christmas carol retreads! ))
Still, there are some gems scattered across all three of the 1959 operetta albums---and I couldn't agree more that the highlights reveal a vocalist *and an artist* deserving of far greater appreciation in certain quarters.
Cheers
Derek
Derek McGovern
Admirers of the late Mario Lanza will be delighted by one of the last, and best, of his recorded performances, fervently if perhaps overcarefully sung [now there's a contradiction!!!], and recorded with remarkably realistic presence. His choice of program materials, too, is admirable, with but a single regrettable exception, an overdramatized and sentimentalized Guardian Angels.
Barnabas Nemeth
Derek McGovern
Sophia
sincerely Sophia in school in Amsterdam NL
On Monday, June 23, 2008 12:22:03 AM UTC+2, Derek McGovern wrote:
I'd imagine that most Lanza aficionados would rate Mario Lanza Sings
Caruso Favorites as the best of his five 1959 LPs (I certainly would).
There's a lot that's memorable about it, and nothing downright bad on
the album (though Santa Lucia, with its inappropriately heavyhanded
arrangement, and the lack-lustre Lolita are well below the standard
achieved on at least half of the 12 tracks). But what of the four
remaining albums that Lanza recorded during the final months of his
life? Which of them constitutes his best singing, and which is his
worst?
I've been playing a lot of Lanza's 1959 recordings recently in the
wake of our recent thread on the remake of The Student Prince, and
I've come to the conclusion that The Vagabond King represents the best
of the four English-language albums he made between April and August
of his final year. Ironically, it's also the worst recorded of all his
1959 recordings, but if one can get past the ever-present distortion
and tinny sound, then what emerges is some impressive singing.The only way to hear this album is on the 2006 Super Audio CD (SACD),
not the earlier BMG CD or any of its LP incarnations. Having said
that, the best reproduction of the Only a Rose duet with Raskin
remains the one heard on Lanza's very first CD: the 1987 BMG disc
Mario Lanza: The Legendary Tenor. Interestingly, in his review of that
album, the distinguished critic Henry Foley singled out Mario's
"elegant" singing on the 1959 Only a Rose, writing that it was almost
worth the price of the CD alone. And it *is* an elegant performance,
with (among other things) a beautifully sustained ending that's really
quite a model of taste.To my ears, the weakest tracks on the album are Song of the Vagabonds
and Some Day, with Lanza sounding very laboured on both of them.
Putting aside his health problems at the time, it's not surprising at
all that he sounds tired at times given the madness of his (or was it
RCA's?) decision to record the entire album in one session. Some Day
was also the last track recorded.As one might expect, however, the *first* track recorded was also one
of the best: the thrilling Love Me Tonight. Listen to his first high A
(on "hours"), in particular, as the man shakes off his ailments (and
transcends the poor recording quality) and recaptures all the
excitement of his most celebrated singing. Here, the SACD reissue
truly comes into its own, with Lanza no longer sounding as wobbly in
his lower notes, and the disconcerting splice in the middle of the
song (during the orchestral bridge) now removed.The other highlights for me are Nocturne (apart from a slightly
lethargic start), with its haunting reflectiveness and the wonderful
ring to Lanza's high notes, the aforementioned Only a Rose and its
reprise in the exciting finale (great B-flat from Lanza at the end),
and the Drinking Song. A *small* number of highlights, perhaps, but
certainly no fewer than those found on The Desert Song and The Student
Prince. (Then there's the 1959 Christmas album, which contains
virtually no highlights!)I have a lot more to say about Lanza's 1959 recordings, but for now
I'd like to hear what others here think...