Whose Version Do You Prefer? Lanza, Björling, Di Stefano & Caruso Sing Tosti's "Ideale"

[Derek McGovern]

I thought it would be both fun and informative to compare four great tenors' studio recordings of the magnificent Tosti song "Ideale":

http://www.mariolanzatenor.com/ideale.html

All are studio recordings with orchestra. (I thought of substituting Di Stefano's rendition---which I think dates from around the same time as Lanza's, give or take a year or so---with his much earlier recording with piano from the mid-1940s, but in the interest of a level playing field, I stuck with his later orchestral version.)

Enjoy! ---and I look forward to reading your comments. This will be a tough one, I suspect :)

[Savage]

Very difficult indeed, Derek.  My favorite rendition is the masterful 1945 recording by Di Stefano, the one you almost included.  This is to my ear the true masterpiece in the lot.  I also like the Caruso and Bjoerling versions, each with a gradual building of passion in the second half of the song.  To my ear, Mario's version is a bit subdued and in addition he sounds like he is suffering from the common cold.  This could simply be a result of the recording equipment.  At any rate, the overall baritonal quality is not to my liking.  Di Stefano's later rendition is quite good until he gets to the highest note, where he is almost shouting. Once again, his vocal decline wrecks an otherwise excellent rendition. I'll be interested in what others think.

[Savage]

Additional comments:   Musically, Mario is flawless here.  My only complaint is the darker voice , which I find much more effective in the dramatic pieces ( Senza Nisciuno, Otello excerpts, etc.).   I also neglected to mention Bjoerling's diction, since it detracts from an otherwise beautiful performance. He should have hired young Nicolai Gedda to help him with his Italian.

[Derek McGovern]

Hi David: I must admit that I'd never thought that Mario might be suffering from a cold on "Ideale," but having just played it with my ears open for any hints of nasal congestion :), I do know what you mean. However, I think you're being fooled by the lower key he's singing it in here. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but he's singing it a whole tone lower than Caruso & co---true baritone territory in other words.    

So, yes, yet another mystery: why did he choose to sing it in such a low key? And without even the optional high note (which would have hardly taxed him, being only a G, I think). Was it a spur-of-the-moment decision, or was it planned from the start?

I can understand why you love the 1945 Di Stefano version. It's gorgeous. But how strange that he omits the hushed, almost spoken "Torna...torna" at the end. And the others, except for Lanza, don't sing the ending as written. How often do we get to say that a Mario Lanza recording is more faithful to the composer's wishes than that of his most illustrious peers and predecessors?! 

Cheers,

Derek

[Armando]

Hi Derek: Yes, Mario sings it in the key of G and the high note on the word aurora is an F, the optional a G. It is indeed strange that he should have chosen to record it in this low key, then again he probably thought it would provide a contrast with some of the others selections, Serenata in particular, which have an abundance of high notes. It’s well sung and Mario is sticking strictly to the score, but he is singing it as a baritone, so it’s difficult to compare it to the others who sing it a tone higher and are all pretty good, notwithstanding Bjorling’s imperfect Italian and Di Stefano’s forced top A.

By the way, Carreras does a very good job in his 1979 recording.

Ciao,

Armando

[Derek McGovern]

Ciao Armando: I guess I did make it difficult to compare Mario's version with those of the other tenors, since he's singing it in a lower key. It might be fun sometime to compare his version with those of a few baritones!  

Yes, I'm familiar with Carreras' 1979 version for his all-Tosti album on the Philips label, and like it very much (along with his "Malia" on the same LP). I did actually want to include it in this latest comparison, but it's not available on YouTube (though some of his live versions from the 1970s can be found there). In fact, I've just realized I don't have it on CD, and will have to do something about that! I see that the disc is no longer being made, but that is still available via Amazon's marketplace sellers:

http://www.amazon.com/Carreras-Sings-Francesco-Paolo-Tosti/dp/B000026ATF

Cheers

Derek     

[Savage]

Derek,

      I guess we'll never know why Mario opted for the baritonal approach.  Perhaps Armando's theory is the most plausible.  I was also mystified by DiStefano's abrupt ending.  Fortunately, it doesn't detract much from a fine rendition.  After listening to Mario's version one more time, something struck me. I listen to Lanza for excitement and Ideale doesn't provide that excitement. That sums up my reaction to Ideale in a nutshell.  

                                                                             David

[Armando]

Hi David: I assume by abrupt you meant Di Stefano’s top A, since the ending is quite beautiful.

Cheers,

Armando

[Savage]

Hi Armando,

         I was actually referring to the omission of "torna...torna"  at the end.  In any case, DiStefano's version is almost flawless and exceptionally beautiful. 

                                                                                                                                  David

[Armando]

Hi David: Do you mean the omission of torna as written, because he does sing the word twice as do both Caruso and Bjorling.

                                                                                                                              

[Derek McGovern]

Ciao Armando: Just to clarify: David and I were both referring to Di Stefano's early piano version of Ideale (David's favourite recording of the song), not his later stereo version with orchestra. On the former, he doesn't sing the final "Torna...torna." (And, interestingly---just like Lanza---he doesn't take the optional high note.)                

Cheers,

Derek                                                                                             

[Savage]

Derek,

        Thanks for clarifying the confusion.  I caused it by injecting an additional recording into the mix.  

                                                                                Cheers,

                                                                                               David 

                                    

[Armando]

Thanks Derek, I hadn’t listened to Di Stefano’s earlier Ideale in ages. Beautiful singing, but strange omission of the ending.

Saluti
Armando

                                    

[Vincent Di Placido]

I just love the atmosphere of Mario's recording, the lower key adds to it actually. If I had to go back to a recording then I would go to Mario's but Pippo's recording is a very close 2nd.

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Vince: I'm with you on Mario's version of "Ideale"! It may be subdued Lanza, but the atmosphere on this recording, as you nicely put it, never fails to pull me in. The ending is also very moving. Really, he couldn't have picked a better song to show off his baritonal depth, and I rather like the fact that he's the only tenor, to the best of my knowledge, to have recorded it in the key of G.

Cheers

Derek

[Barnabas Nemeth]

For me, the most moving is the Lanza's version. His two last recordings have had very, very mature  readings. Even compared to himself.

The worst version in my view is perhaps the Caruso's one. The other two are some extent of populist readings concerning the ending high notes. Barnabas

[Lou]

Hi Derek: You wrote: How often do we get to say that a Mario Lanza recording is more faithful to the composer's wishes than that of his most illustrious peers and predecessors?! Speaking only of "Ideale," I myself have not come across a Lanza peer or predecessor singing it the way he does, but I thought that if there was anyone among his successors who does, most likely it would be the come scritto  guy himself, Carlo Bergonzi. Sure enough, in this concert performance of "Ideale," 53-year-old Bergonzi eschews the optional high note and the embellishment of "torna...torna" at the end. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZojyzTk7GvU  My untrained ears can't tell whether, like Lanza, he sings in a lower key, but given his age and his early years as a baritone, I won't be surprised if he does.  

I am hard-pressed to choose among the four versions you have chosen for comparison. I like their straightforward, uncluttered interpretation, which I much prefer to the heart-on-sleeve emotionalism of the well-loved 1978 Pavarotti version. I must confess, however, that I feel let down by Lanza's (and Bergonzi's) omission of  the optional high note on "aurora," though such omission heightens the sense of restrained melancholy that I find so affecting.

Best,

Lou    

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Lou: Thanks for sharing the Bergonzi rendition---and for your comments in general. This is a toughie, isn't it? :) While I would never argue that Lanza delivers the definitive version of this song, I love his "restrained melancholy," as you so beautifully put it, and feel that his version deserves to be considered alongside the very best renditions.   

Interestingly, on this occasion Signor "come scritto" Bergonzi isn't quite as faithful to Tosti as Lanza is---especially in the last quarter or so of the song (including the final "Torna"). And no, he doesn't sing it in the same low (baritone) key that Lanza does; in fact, I'm not sure that Bergonzi (despite his baritonal beginnings) could have sung it any lower :)

Great to have you posting again!

Cheers,

Derek      

[Derek McGovern]

I've just been listening to Lanza's recording of "Ideale"---having not played it for some months---and once again I found it terribly moving. The last quarter is especially touching; if you haven't listened to it in a while, I recommend focusing on what Lanza does with the song from the first "Torna caro ideal" through to the quietly devastating ending:

http://www.mariolanzatenor.com/ideale.html

[jora...@gmail.com]

These all were so good that my vocabulary is insufficient to separate them so I am using a 1 to ten scale:

 Mario gets first place by a hair (9.8). His notes were so velvety and rich that he sounded almost like a baritone!. Very effective and believable!

Jussi was very, very good and very lyrical. (9.5)

Di Stefano was also excellent and had maybe more "sweetness" to his voice than the others ...but he did sound a little forced in a few places...thus, (9.5)

Caruso was also quite impressive however I found him a little "choppy" in places. His voice, while superb, was not sweet. I gave him a (9.0)

[Barnabas Nemeth]

In my opinion the sequence of order: by far the most touching is Mario's rendition, the next is di Stefano's, then Caruso's, finally Bjoerling. Cheers, Barnabas

[Savage]

Tough is right, as they are all beautiful.  I have to give the prize to Mario for his expressive rendition.  Di Stefano's recording would have been number one if the forced high note were eliminated. Jussi's reading is smooth and absolutely beautiful.  Caruso, in last place in my rankings, is still a treat.  The dramatic final portion with the sob and powerful singing is quite impressive.  No real losers here.

[Tony Partington]

Hi Folks!  What a wonderful challenge to encounter!!!  Indeed it is hard to choose a favorite, but what I find so interesting is how vastly different Mario's interpretation is when one examines it along side virtually every other singer.  I am reminded of a thread from some time ago in which we discussed the beautiful canzone "Santa Lucia luntana."  Mario's later reading of that when compared to his Coke show version makes the earlier recording seem, to my ears, a trivial vocal exercise.  He does the same thing here with Tosti's passionately beautiful "Ideale."  The key may be baritonal but it is perfect for the picture Mario Lanza the vocal artist wants to paint:  

This is a man recalling, remembering a long lost love and the life changing effect she had upon him.  He is, I daresay, remembering all this within his own mind, his own heart and wishing for her return - albeit for only a moment.  Lanza is introspective in the extreme here whereas so many other singers choose a much more extroverted approach.  For Mario, there is no need for a high note on "aurora," he sees it already - the new dawn; the face of his beloved.  But there is question there: Is it truly the new dawn he has prayed for or not?  Ah, and that is why he speaks / sings the final words so low and sweet; "torna, torna." 

I like even love the other recordings of "Ideale"  no other recording though is even in the same realm as Mario Lanza's.

For fun, here are two other versions of "Ideale" I like very much"

Ramon Vargas, tenor

http://www.4shared.com/mp3/R5t6_vAuba/05_Tosti__2_RomanzeNo_1_Ideale.html

Giovanni Martinelli

http://www.4shared.com/mp3/HTCgOtTUba/Ideale.html  

Ciao ~ Tony

[Armando]

Beautifully expressed, Tony!

I like Vargas live performance very much, and Martinelli is surprisingly good- I prefer him to Caruso in this one. The latter is over explosive in a couple of places, particularly on the top A.   

Saluti,

Armando

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Tony: Thanks for sharing those two recordings of "Ideale." I'm not usually a fan of Martinelli, but I enjoyed his singing here---and the always-reliable Vargas was excellent! A very moving interpretation.

Cheers,

Derek