New Mario Lanza CD from Sepia Records Coming in March 2024: "Golden Days"

[Derek McGovern]

I've just posted information here on the upcoming Lanza CD from Sepia Records.

Golden Days is an extraordinary compilation, and I'll be posting more information about it here in the near future. I also hope to share a few audio snippets from the CD so that its exciting sonic quality can be appreciated.

  

[Derek McGovern]

In just over three weeks Sepia Records will have its new Lanza CD, Golden Days, in stock at its London warehouse (ahead of the official release at Amazon by almost a month). The Mario Lanza Institute will also have the CD available for purchase ahead of the Amazon date. I'll post the ordering links for both of them as soon as they're available.

In the meantime, I've put together snippets of four tracks from the CD for anyone who would like an audio preview. Please click here to listen to them. 

I never thought that Sepia would top their previous Lanza compilation (The Quintessential Tenor), but somehow they have. Both the sound quality and the selections themselves on Golden Days are outstanding---and the beautifully presented booklet is nothing to sneeze at either. I hope Sepia sells bucketloads of this CD, as they certainly deserve to. What a class act! I also can't think of a more representative compilation of Lanza's 1949-1956 recorded legacy. (How often do you get the likes of "Begin the Beguine" and "Di Rigori Armato" on the same CD?!) To hear these mono recordings in stereo at last---and sounding more vibrant than ever---is quite something.  

If you like what you hear at the above link, then please feel free to start spreading the word! Given the ongoing state of the CD market, this release will need all the promo it can get.

Derek

[Vincent Di Placido]

I am blown away by those 4 snippets. The stereo mixes are sublime. Great work, everybody! Really looking forward to this disc.

[Derek McGovern]

It's really gratifying to read your reaction, Vince. 

What I think even Lanza aficionados will be amazed by when they listen to this CD is that, irrespective of how many hundreds of times they've thrilled to the likes of "Song of India" or the 1949 "Che Gelida Manina," hearing these classic recordings in stereo is a completely new experience. It is like hearing them for the first time. They simply sparkle, and while there so many extra orchestral details now audible, they don't distract from Mario's voice, which is front and centre in the mix (as it should be) and free to soar at last.

To prove my point, here's another sampling of treasures from this CD.  

Derek

[AZENCOT MARCEL]

Hi Derek, you're the best salesman ever (with Vince) regarding Mario and, needless to say we'll buy the New Cd !

Marcel, Paris

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[Derek McGovern]

Merci beaucoup, Marcel! I'm very happy to be a salesman for this unique CD: the first all-DES (Digitally Extracted Stereo) Lanza release. It would be wonderful indeed to have more of Lanza's best mono recordings converted to stereo, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that sales of Golden Days will be strong enough to convince Sepia to produce a follow-up disc. 

I first heard about DES back in 2021---and I must thank the former broadcaster Arthur McClintock, if he's reading this, for introducing me to the process and being the first to suggest that Sepia Records should release DES Lanza CDs. Initially, I was a bit skeptical, as I'd heard some mixed results of the process. But then Stephen Cutler got in touch and absolutely dazzled me (and ultimately Sepia's owner, Richard Tay) with some of his multi-track DES work.  Had it not been for Steve, and his incredible skill, generosity of time and perseverance, this CD would not have happened.     

One of the major advantages of the DES process is that, apart from being able to create authentic-sounding stereo mixes, a singer's voice can be brought forward on both existing mono and stereo recordings. As we know, Lanza was often badly recorded (think of some of the 1949 RCA recordings and especially the 1959 albums, on which he sometimes sounds as though he's down a tunnel). But DES can go a long way to improving the balance between voice and orchestra. To give an example from Golden Days, Steve was able to make a substantial improvement to the 1949 "Che gelida manina" by bringing Mario's voice forward so that it no longer sounds pushed back and slightly tinny. And of course the orchestra is now surrounding him on that recording, rather than being boxed in with him in the same mono cell. As a result, his high C sounds more glorious than ever!  

So yes: I am rather excited about this CD :)

Derek 

[Derek McGovern]

Mario Lanza: Golden Days is now in stock at Sepia Records in London, and can be ordered here. (Including postage, it's £8.99 for those in the UK; £10.99 for those in Europe; and £12.99 for everyone else.)

It would be nice to hear from anyone who's heard the CD, particularly since I always have to wait a couple of weeks to receive mine. (I'm in South Korea.)

[Fr. Damien Quigley]

Thanks for the update Derek. Just ordered mine - looking forward to another stellar production!

[Vincent Di Placido]

The new Mario Lanza release from Sepia Records, “Golden Days”, is a true stunner!

Mono classics we previously transferred from pristine vinyl have now been given a whole new life in DES, Digitally Extracted Stereo by Stephen Cutler.

This is a sonic revelation, yes! I almost felt I was hearing these recordings for the first time.

Fresh, full of depth and detail, I didn’t realise all this beauty was buried in that narrow mono channel, it is now set free in new, true stereophonic glory.

This is quite possibly the most significant and impressive release yet from Sepia. Well done Derek and Stephen.

Aside from the audio technical impressiveness the programming alone and booklet are as always just perfection.

[Armando Cesari]

The latest Sepia CD release of Mario Lanza, "Golden Days", is not only an exceptional representation of his singing but also a true revelation. Lanza's voice is featured in the revolutionary Digitally Extracted Stereo (DES), which separates his voice from the orchestra and makes the recordings sound fresh and realistic as if they were just made yesterday. 

This achievement would not have been possible without the work of Derek Mc Govern, the brainchild behind all the Sepia Lanza CDs, and the outstanding efforts of Steve Cutler in transferring the original mono recordings into DES. Having been privy to the amount of work and countless hours spent by Derek and Steve in checking and rechecking the various tracks, I can only offer them my heartfelt thanks and congratulations on an outstanding achievement.

Of course, even the greatest technological advances would be meaningless without Lanza's superb singing. He combines a breathtakingly beautiful voice with an innate genius for phrasing and interpretation that cannot be taught. Anyone new to Lanza will be bowled over as he switches effortlessly from Cole Porter and Jerome Kern to Puccini and Verdi. As for those like me who have been thrilled by his voice for years, this is like re-discovering him again.  

Lastly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Richard Tay, the owner of Sepia Records, for believing in the Lanza projects (this being the 13th CD) from the very beginning. By the way, I am not superstitious, and I am confident that this will not be the last CD. 

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[Vincent Di Placido]

A small promo I made for the new Sepia DES CD, share wherever you want to raise awareness.

https://youtu.be/txhw9jsDRxc

[Armando Cesari]

Beautifully done, Vince, and more than likely to help boost sales. 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mariolanza/b9e1debf-082a-472b-b685-0e355de28362n%40googlegroups.com.

[Derek McGovern]

It's great to see that Vince's superb promo for Golden Days has already had over 2000 views on YouTube. 

Meanwhile the CD has earned an excellent first review on Amazon:

I don't know Dane S. Thomas, but if he happens to read this, then I offer him my sincerest thanks---not only for this review, but also for his earlier one on Mario Lanza: The Quintessential Tenor.  

In other good news for this CD, the distinguished physician and well-known opera authority Neil Kurtzman has posted this glowing endorsement of both the disc and Lanza himself on his popular blog:

https://medicine-opera.com/2024/04/golden-days-mario-lanza/

[Derek McGovern]

I’m delighted to report that the sensational new Sepia Records CD Golden Days has debuted at #10 on Billboard’s Traditional Classical Albums chart this week.

This is a phenomenal feat for an artist who has been gone for nearly 65 years. Just think: Mario Lanza outsold most other “traditional” classical artists this week!

Incredibly, this is the second time in two years that a Sepia Lanza CD has charted on Billboard. On the previous occasion, it was The Undiscovered Mario Lanza that charted (for one week at #15).  What’s more, on both occasions the Billboard chart positions were achieved by physical CD sales alone.

Given that Vince Di Placido created superb video promos on YouTube for both CDs in the weeks leading up to their charting, I think it’s beyond question that he played a major role in this achievement. But let’s not forget Steve Cutler, without whose technical mastery this CD would never have happened.   

A physical copy of Golden Days will now be archived by Billboard to commemorate its chart placement---nearly 75 years after Lanza first appeared on Billboard’s charts. What an achievement for any artist!

Derek

[Derek McGovern]

[leeann]

You know, Derek McGovern, Armando Cesari, and Vince DiPlacido have shared the marvels of Mario Lanza's voice and the challenges of his life with awe and love, with critical analysis, with context. I was more than fulfilled with that. I think Golden Days, though,  takes the impact of Lanza's voice deeper and farther. I hope it hits a new generation.

The album begins with the opening of 'Begin the Beguine" and just keeps going through perfect track sequencing to "Dio Mi Potevi" and then on to the bonus tracks--"old-fashioned" numbers, timeless songs, classic operatic selections that contemporary tenors still work to master.

Golden Days is a beautiful collection. I was pretty much speechless the first time I listened and still don't have the words. Everything magnificent about Lanza's voice and interpretive genius is highlighted and amplified here. DES  serves the orchestra as well; the music works with the voice with clarity.

Every time it seems we've hit a pinnacle with Lanza recordings, Derek McGovern and Sepia records find a new way to honor and commemorate his body of work, meticulously and flawlessly--and, I think, to ratify, confirm, and perpetuate Lanza's place in musical history. Thirteen CDs! It's a great gift. Thank you.

On Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at 11:21:30 AM UTC-4 Derek McGovern wrote:

[Derek McGovern]

A wonderful (five-star!) review of the Golden Days CD has just appeared in the September-October edition of Fanfare magazine, a well-respected bi-monthly dedicated mostly to opera and classical music. The reviewer is Prof. Henry Fogel, former CEO of the League of American Symphony Orchestras and former dean of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.

To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time that a Sepia Lanza CD has been reviewed by a serious music critic, and I couldn't be more thrilled with Fogel's assessment of the disc. This is the final part of his very detailed review:

For those who are not familiar with Lanza, this disc makes an ideal introduction. It includes a wide sample of his singing, reproduced with a more open and natural sound quality than ever before. Rather than lament what might have been, we can enjoy what was. Lanza’s was a tenor voice of rare beauty and individuality, one that is immediately identifiable after hearing a note or two. For those who already collect Lanza, the sonic improvement here is significant enough to warrant an enthusiastic recommendation. 

Henry Fogel

 Five stars: Glorious singing from a career that might have been

[Steff Walzinger]

Congratulation Derek! That's absolutely fabulous! 

You can be so proud of what you have achieved with not only your latest Sepia release but also with all the previous ones of which I have stopped counting the numbers!! While we haven't seen any new releases from Mario Lanza's official label RCA/Sony/BMG for a long time, and consequently have to realize that this profit-driven company sadly has forgotten about him, you keep on creating all those wonderful CDs with the support of your "fellow workers," offering a wide array of Mario Lanza's incredible talent. To now have this wonderful review by a musical luminary and expert like Henry Fogel must be the icing of the cake, rewarding you for all the tireless and extensive work that you do with so much love and dedication - and without any view to profit. I am sure the Sepia story goes on ...  You are unstoppable, that's for sure! May your energy never end! And a big thank you to Sepia Records for giving Mario Lanza such a big stage and trusting that his musical impact still isn't out of date, which cannot taken for granted in today's crazy world.

Steff