I think Lanza's
"Granada" was among the first of his songs I heard, although I'm not
certain whether it was the 1949 or the soundtrack version. The absolutely
spectacular and effortless power and seamless movement throughout the
song, the incredible and extended "...te vengo a dar" and
"de sangre y de sol" (among other high points) were and are
totally hypnotic. I think for those reasons, I do prefer the 1949 version. I
just don't want it to end.
I noticed, as I tried to play those two simultaneously (it almost worked) that there seems to
be marked difference in the tempi--the movie version is more rapid--besides not
including the reprise of "de rosas de suave frangancia..."
Lanza almost turns this Lara song into an anthem for Granada--and perhaps Ramon Vargas does too in this different, but impassioned arrangement. (Vargas seems to do quite a bit of the Lara repertoire, actually.)
I didn't (and don't) know much about Lara, but what an interesting, nationally-beloved, womanizing (reportedly married seven times), bohemian reprobate he was--actor, composer, musician, singer. Here he is singing one of his own songs, "Solamente una Vez" which, I think was widely recorded by others in English and Spanish. I wonder if he ever recorded "Granada." Certainly that would have been vocally quite different from the operatic versions! Best, Lee Ann
Hi Lee Ann: I had no idea old Lara was such a colorful character! It sounds as though he and Lanza would have hit it off, and I would love to know what the composer thought of the latter's interpretations of Granada. (I vaguely recall reading that Lara had met Lanza in Hollywood, but I think it was the same source that invented conflicting tales of a Lanza-Presley meeting :))
Lara's "Solamente una Vez" has indeed been recorded widely---Carreras, incidentally, sang it in both Spanish and English (as "You Belong to My Heart")---but, to be honest, the song always makes me sleepy! For my money, "Granada" is in a completely different league.
Thanks for the link to Vargas' version. What a curious interpretation! I only liked it in places, as I felt it was an awkward mesh of pop and operatic styles. Good ending, but I wish he'd performed it in a more traditional way (and operatically). But who knows? It may have been the sort of free-wheeling nterpretation that Lara himself enjoyed :)
Cheers
Derek
Hi Derek,
I found it difficult to choose between the 1949 recording and the M.G.M. one but having seen Mario sing it on film I find the M.G.M. more exciting,
The remastered Granada sounds simply fantastic! Bravo, Mike, and thank you!
Armando