Mario Lanza 1948 live- "Lamento di federico" plus sketch

[DonPaolissimo]

For me, the later version has more passion & "lament"; plus, the voice is bigger, darker. The Serenade film version has, for me, always been definitive - I cannot begin to estimate how many times I have listened to that recording!!

[qklq42]

A big surprise. I never heard this recording. Its very beautiful. I adore Mario Lanzas englisch and american songs and balads, but I never liked his opera arias. But: this record is different: in this particular aria he proves that he is able to be a great interpretor. He combines his beautiful voice with a very fine taste.

See Mario Lanza with new eyes !

Hans NL

[ShawDAMAN]

@qklq42 I've known a number of people who had the same feelings as you on hearing some of his earlier stuff. Look for his 1948 live nessun dorma, live 1948 agnus dei, and the duets from the hollywood bowl concert in 1947 for more similarly fine singing. 

[elio721]

E' la voce più bella del pianeta!!! Orgoglio italiano. Elio cavriana

[RoyKa2010]

That's a great depiction of Mario Lanza, both visually and musically. I'm not such a big fan of his opera recordings but I must admit this "Lamento" was a very enjoyable listen, smooth and stylish, and the voice of course speaks for itself. The drawing IS as lovely as the thumbnail size was promising ;-) Thanks a lot for sending this video.

[ShawDAMAN]

@RoyKa2010 Thank you again very much! Yes I love Lanza's performances from the 40's, wish there were more of them.

[rouman7]

everyone to there own, we all have diffrent views, and taste in music. everyone is entitled to there opinion. lanza like everyone else had off days, its just he had less than anyone else. and like some of the other greats he was never boring...

[catlec39]

@rouman7 You are right about the off days. However, many of the bad recordings (less than perfect) are the fault of RCA for trying to market ANYTHING they had on tape for Mario Lanza.. especially after his death. While many people are grateful to have heard his radio broadcasts, they were not (in Many cases) of recording quality. Frequently the rehearsals were extremely short, or non-existent. In short, these recordings were simply spontaneous singings, not rehearsed recordings.

[halavey]

Massey hall, canada, great.

[pianist527]

Listened to again and again most gratifying i must say. The pure, crystal clear sound - and already unique because different from all other tenors in the ring - is entirely there and just to think he was only 27 years old when sang this! Simply amazing

[halavey]

Thanks and I wanted to add since I am older as you know I have heard everyone of the singers I mentioned except Mario and if I did I would not remember since my parents took me to Grant park with them often, my mom was a concert pianist and in 1947 I was six years old so I would not remember and she is dead but in 1950 they took me to hear the movie the toast of New Orleans and I remember that one and it hooked me on opera and I am just 3 mos. older then Domingo, he saw it also as a child.

[halavey]

Look even my favorite tenor RT has sung an opera I may not like him in or a recording of an aria I may not like say the way he sings it, they are all human. Lanza sang here very well and somethings not so well and that goes for even Bjorling a very VERY perfect singer or Bergonzi who could be at times just like Jussi, maybe too perfect, Lanza if anything was never Boring or cold. in what he did. Corelli a great voice had his habits but where are these guys today---- all dead.

[ShawDAMAN]

Good comment

[halavey]

- ALL KINDS OF STUFF AROUND HIM BUT THIS IS VERY GOOD AS ALL HIS PRE HOLLYWOOD SINGING VERY FINE SINGING, AS FAR AS HOLLYWOOD I DID NOT LIKE HIS VERSION IN SERENADE AS MUCH, I LIKE THIS-- HIS 1958 VESTI STUDIO FOR THE FILM WAS HIS BEST HOLLYWOOD SINGING FOR ME- AS FAR AS MEMORY, ANOTHER SUBJECT BUT HIS VOICE WAS EASILY AS large as jussi or bergonzi WHO WHERE NOT POWER HOUSES so if he wanted too before hollywood he could have done it but his choice was movies,HE DID HIS THING.

[Glenmed]

One of the greatest arias and this is as perfect a rendition as I've heard. The "restraint" here, that you discuss, allows the lament to flow so beautifully - and, for me, enhances the emotion. A God-given voice that, as I've read, Maria Callas admired.

[ShawDAMAN]

Agreed on all counts :-) and yes Callas is reported to have said that she regretted never having sung with the greatest tenor voice she ever heard. He had an incredible gift, it's a shame it wasn't better used, but I'm grateful for what he have. ;-)

Thanks for watching :-)

[halavey]

Good sound for 1948 and have you found out anything about the room? Was it inside? Sounds like it probably was.

[ShawDAMAN]

It's a bit crackly but for 48 the sound is very good, yes. Nope I don't know anything about the location other than the city. I'm pretty sure it was inside, yes.

[derekmcgovern]

Halavey: This concert was given at Toronto's Massey Hall on March 5, 1948. Lanza sang 3 arias & 3 songs; only the performances of the arias have turned up so far. I'd rate this Lamento of the four complete versions by Lanza that have survived as his best rendition of the aria. It's the right lyric sound for the aria & the appropriate style. Is it perfect? No, but it's gorgeous: an unmistakably superb voice singing very beautifully & musically. His "Serenade" version of 1955 is a close second.

[zsazsamario]

He would have to be immortal if he`d sang this only one great aria! Such a voice, such a frasing, such deep feeling in such a young age, he was only a teen!! Noone, noone was or is like him, he was really unique! Bless him!

[ShawDAMAN]

He was unique yes and I love him, but actually he was about 27 here, not a teen.

[zsazsamario]

OOps! Sorry, I wanted to write tween! So is o.k.?

[ShawDAMAN]

ha ha. No problem

[khankonchak]

This is beautifully controlled, unforced singing. Based on the excerpts that I've heard, Lanza must have been in wonderful voice for that Toronto concert. I still prefer his 1955 Serenade recording, which I consider to be unparalleled in its visceral impact, but I'd say that either rendition is preferable to his Coca Cola Show or London performances.

Your drawing is Excellent with a capital "E". I wish that I could do that, but unfortunately I'm still trying to perfect my stick figures. :-(

[ShawDAMAN]

I agree on the singing. Beautiful. It's a toss-up between the 2 for me too but I'm actually leaning just a bit towards this one because it shows that Lanza could "hold back" so to speak. It's a matter of taste but not "holding back" a bit more is one of the things he's most often criticized for. Thanks for your compliment. :-)

[halavey]

the answer form JB came when he was singing in Italy in Ballo I think it was and an Italian man came back afterwards to his dressing room and said Mr Bjorling you have a very beautiful voice but you sing so cold! Imagine saying that ! So Jussi said -- well I am from a cold country! Later, thanks. your right on !

[halavey]

your correct and i have attacked corelli for having a great voice and doing some singing that was far from polished, habits I won't even go into here. Yet he was a huge opera star with a fantastic voice but remarks have been made about him, tucker and even the Northern God Jussi for being cold, I loved his answer, Bjorling said I am from a cold country! Wonderful voice for sure and a great artist but he still gets flamed.

[ShawDAMAN]

Yeah. Best to just leave people to their opinions, you can usually tell if a person is open for discussion or if they are really set in their views. People get really worked up about their singers, I never would have thought. I wonder sometimes what the singers themselves would have thought of these violent arguments sometimes. Yes great answer from Bjorling, ha ha.

[halavey]

Yes thats true he was kind of unique but then so was nelson eddy and a tenor named nino martini who also sang in opera companies on occasion and made movies with not as great a voice as lanza but that was earlier for martini and eddy. Lanza had a greater voice then Eddy who was not a tenor anyhow. He was so gifted it caused the talk that Eddy never much had cause he sang not much in opera and made those operetta films with Mac Donald who had a small voice sang in the Chicago opera .once?

[halavey]

Somehow that name Mc Govern sounds familiar? what is the site name for the lanza forum? Mooorhe mentioned?

[ShawDAMAN]

It's called the Mario Lanza forum. Fine website very nicely done.

[halavey]

He never needed much defending as far as voice and in his early and very late year--(the vesti, for the first time film, 1958) he sang very well --as far as the voice it was one of the greatest tenor voices ever, only an idiot or deaf person would say the voice is not good. What would tucker, kirsten or albanese say? Sure they would agree, a great voice, maybe not all his singing in Hollywood but when he sang seriously many real opera fans did like him and admit it was fine singing.

[ShawDAMAN]

Yeah most will admit he had a great voice but as you know there are people who make nasty attacks on good singers for whatever reason. He has plenty of detractors as well as fans; that's normal- my point was just that, he's such a unique case, in a niche of his own really, that his fans, when they feel they must "defend" him, have less of a basis on which to make arguments in his favor, than say, Caruso Bjorling who had distinguished opera careers......

[ShawDAMAN]

...So maybe that partially explains why his fans are eager to point out testimonials from other opera singers, which is what Mooorhe was talking about.

[novice1959]

This is AWESOME!!! My favorite version of this, as you would guess, is Carreras', but this is amazing...especially that high note at 4:01...my mouth dropped open and my hair stood on end, I swear! What an incredible voice he had! The drawing is terrific...did you do it?

[ShawDAMAN]

Yes what an incredible voice, and a very good interpretation too. Yes I did the drawing. :-) Thankyou.

[novice1959]

The drawing is a very accurate likeness! I'm so glad that you've posted another Lanza recording. I really do enjoy listening to them. Of course I'm sure that you know he was Carreras' first inspiration to become an opera singer!

[ShawDAMAN]

Yes I know. =) He's certainly inspired me to *want* to sing, lol. There's no one who's *voice* I'd rather have. Thanks for the compliment.

[tomfroekjaer]

Beautiful ! - including the drawing !!

Thanks.

[ShawDAMAN]

Thanks! =)

[halavey]

Lescaut 1951 with his way with the famous Pazzo aria and the great recording in 1940 of the aria and sure the trav.

[halavey]

I listened again to this carefully and his voice was so beautiful and quite lyric and moving, I really like it like I did when I was 10 years old. This is Lanza really singing very well indeed , excellent!

[ShawDAMAN]

Yes, beautiful. This kind of measured, lyric singing is just as moving, maybe more than his darker and less restrained renditions from '55 and live '58. Although I like those as well.

[halavey]

Interesting what Mooorhe said but actually with Gigli I have a couple of complete live ones like a Forza from 1951 when he was 61 years old and in the dramatic moments when he sings forte he does sound 61 not like he did in another one I have but not complete in 1947 when the top was better. With Corelli, his fans are not bothered by scoops or the lisp and some don't hear it so like you said, if they like him well thats all that matters or Jussi being cold, his fans say tears in the voice

[Mooorhe]

My mistake, I don't know what I was thinking. I even have some Gigli recordings myself, Fedora, Forza and Manon Lescaut from 1951. Il Trovatore excerpts from 1948, La Traviata from 1939 in London and quite a few more. Only a few of these are fully complete though.

[Mooorhe]

...his incredible power and feeling make up for it, much in the way that Lanza's voice did the same.

Indeed, he could sing clearly in English and sing in different styles in a way that no other opera singer could. At the end of the day, 'proving' that your favourite singer is the best is pretty fruitless, it's always best to enjoy what moves/thrills/touches you.

Three selections survived from this concert if I'm not mistaken?

[ShawDAMAN]

Yeah. There's no way to "prove" your favorite the best. There's just too many variables, and the variable you can argue the LEAST about is personal taste. Even if someone says Domingo or Netrebko is their favorite (?!) and moves them (?!?) I can only say that I disagree, I'm surprised, and that I think other singers are much better, but beyond that what can you say? No one should be made to feel inferior for enjoying a particular singer I guess...

[Mooorhe]

Precisely. This was my issue with Derek McGovern and the Lanza forum. I appreciate all of the effort that went into setting it up, but it seemed that one couldn't voice an opinion as simple as 'Lanza's voice doesn't appeal much to me' without being told how Dorothy Kirsten thought this about the voice and Licia Albanese thought that... seemed more like proving he was superior, rather than appreciating his artistry. Still, I look forward to it opening again.

[ShawDAMAN]

ha ha. =P Well who's going to flock to a Lanza forum- Lanza fans. and they want others to share their opinions as do fans of any singer really. But I do know what you mean =P all the quoting/reference citing etc can get a bit tiresome sometimes.

(The quotes are occasionally useful though for those who think Lanza did not really have an operatic voice or his voice was tiny or studio engineered etc.)

[ShawDAMAN]

...The problem with Lanza is, he is such a unique case. How do you evaluate him? As an opera singer? His stage career was negligible by comparison so he can't be evaluated in the same way as Caruso or Tucker. As just a pop singer or hollywood singing actor? That hardly seems fair to his vast vocal talent. So his fans are in a difficult spot, how do they defend him? What is he exactly? :P (cont'd..)

[ShawDAMAN]

.....Tough question so naturally when he's gotten praise from big names in the opera world they are quick to point it out. Perhaps too quick sometimes. ;-)

[derekmcgovern]

Mooorhe: Thanks for the qualified praise! :-) I take your point about Lanza aficionados bringing up quotes from this singer or that conductor in defence of the man, but -- goodness -- can you blame us? The sheer amount of nonsense that has been written about Lanza ("couldn't fill an opera house without a mike", "wasn't musical", "always shouted", "couldn't remember a score", "couldn't sing softly", "had no nuance", ad nauseum, does tend to make us a little, shall we say, defensive :-)

[derekmcgovern]

What I find just as frustrating as the anti-Lanza detractors & myth-spreaders, though, are one-eyed Lanza fans who monotonously declare that virtually everything he recorded was in a class of its own. These comments are all over youtube, as I'm sure you know, & aren't helpful at all to Lanza's cause. Many of these enthusiasts have also unwittingly uploaded the very worst of Lanza here, thus giving further ammunition to his critics. We need far more ShawDAMANs, DiPlacido71s, and Khankonchaks :)

[ShawDAMAN]

... And there's even smaller gaps to argue about of course when you are discussing singers at the top of the pile like Tucker Gigli, Caruso, Bjorling etc. Thus the saying "there's no disputing taste" so I do my very best to discuss rather than argue with people =P

and even less of that. >_>

Hmm at least 2 recordings exist from this I know for certain, maybe 3? I forget.

[Mooorhe]

I have to say, I'm totally against those sobs.

I think part of what makes Lanza's voice so glorious to the opera listener is its uniqueness as an operatic voice, without sounding condescending, it has a slightly unoperatic sound to it. This unusual edge to the voice gives such a unique golden sound a beckon to many used to the norm of highly focused operatic tenor voices. I doubt many tenor voices will ever have similar qualitites to Lanza's

[ShawDAMAN]

Yet 2 of the most frequent sobbers, Gigli and Tucker, are among your favorites. hee hee how do you deal with it =P j/k

I agree prettymuch with your statement about Lanza...

[Mooorhe]

It's always difficult to judge Gigli in the context of an entire opera, I don't think an entire recording of him in a live opera actually survived. He was more restrained and stylish at times, this was him at his best. The most beautiful voice ever coupled with stylish singing and incredible phrasing and nuance, what could better? :P

There are, as halavey has said, recordings in which Tucker was more restrained. I love him for those, the fact that he sobbed was made up for by...

[ShawDAMAN]

..That was partly why he could bridge the gap so to speak between english/pop/operetta and opera so well without sacrificing a bona fide operatic voice. Like Brightman, Bocelli, Potts, Bolton, etc; he brought opera to the masses, but unlike them he did so by actually singing it very well, lol. (mostly) Some refined opera aficianados looked down their noses at him and still do but no matter how many "real" opera singers I like I will always enjoy occasionally coming back to Lanza. That voice! =D

[pianist527]

As to the drawing, wow, how beautiful! Honestly, was that you? Very good. Congratulations!

[ShawDAMAN]

Yes, it was me. Ha ha. Thank you.

[pianist527]

I can see that my first comment did not appear, only the second one... Still, you know what I think about this lovely recording, I told ou by mail. A beautiful lyric voice, wonderful timbre both quite noticeable here although perhaps a tiny bit smaller of what just a year or so later it became: the glorious one we all know and adore, which incredibly rested so until the end of his life. Thanks for this great video.

[halavey]

I mean on my last comment below Tucker sang those french roles live and did not sob and on recording in those arias he did not either. He recorded Mozart cosi, Fleder. and did not sob at all. Strange when Gigli or Corelli does they say OK but if Tucker does those who don't like him say he sobs too much!

[ShawDAMAN]

True- Tucker doesn't *just* sob, he sobs when it's "appropriate" to the story. And yes there are plenty of times he doesn't sob at all. Yes, well there are people who just plain don't like him I guess and so they point out all his mannerisms. Whatever. I happen to like it.

[halavey]

Well Tucker would sob more live then on studio but only if the part was sad and or called for it. Gigli actually sobbed more then Tucker live or on recording and Corelli would sob also, so what. People in life if someone dies or is sick or sad sob, others don't. Bjorling rarely did but maybe cause he was Nordic, they show emotion differently, Italians are more emotional perhaps.Tucker did not sob in faust or hoffman or mozart which he also sang not live or on recording and he was correct.

[halavey]

The sobs are fine around 2:05 but if Tucker did that the idiots would be all over him like flies on crap. He was only 38 when he died so who knows but I always liked his more lyric singing too his more dramatic singing like in the Caruso film when he sang some of Sorrento at the Piano with Ann Blyth seated next to him but they gave us little of that.

[ShawDAMAN]

Yeah I like the sobs here actually. Tucker I think made more of a point of sobbing than Lanza did generally but neither bothers me at all. That little snippet you mention of Lanza singing at the piano is lovely, almost makes me wish he had recorded the whole song that way.

[halavey]

I remember a few critics saying after the caruso film that by 50 years old he would be burned out but they probably had not heard him in the 1940's in concert . I agree with German opera singer.

[halavey]

Nice sketch you whipped up and nice recording, very good. He needed to sing that way for the films and pop fans. Here and in the bel canto trio it was a different story, as you said it was talked about often.

[ShawDAMAN]

Thanks as always for your comment.

[steakopera]

Yes, yes, yes, this is the authenticity I've mentioned about. No slides, no exaggerations. It would have made a path of completely different history for him. Why.......................?

Thanks for the glimps of his origin.

[ShawDAMAN]

I agree and thank you for watching. You know, it's a crying shame that more of his pre-hollywood work was not recorded. Out of the 150 or so concerts he sang with the bel canto trio I think maybe 1 or 2 recordings exist. THere's a distant possibility more will turn up I guess but it's unlikely.

[sospello]

Ideal aria for his voice. Thank you and a very good sketch. Thank you for posting.

[ShawDAMAN]

Yes a good aria for his voice, he sang it quite a number of times considering his (relatively) limited career. Thank *you* for watching

[GermanOperaSinger]

Wonderful singing, what a great voice he had. What a pity Hollywood made him ruin it. I can even hear some of Gigli's sweetness in his phrasing here. The voice was darker than Gigli's of course, but similar in that lyric Italian sound. Nice picture.

[ShawDAMAN]

Yes.

I don't think Hollywood made him ruin his voice, but it ruined his style and halted his progress as a singer. It is a pity. He was just getting ready to get back into opera too...drat. It's been re-hashed enough I guess :-|

Thanks for watching

[GermanOperaSinger]

His style would have been the eventual cause of his demise, unless he went back to singing like he did before Hollywood got a hold of him. Starting from the early 50s, his singing became, in the words of my grandfather, 'open, wild, uncontrolled, all over the place'. A bit like di Stefano although the placement wasn't quite as 'in the throat'. Nevertheless very dangerous to the voice. How long would he have lasted had he lived? Not long, unless he changed his style.

[ShawDAMAN]

Interesting points. I'm not sure I would put it in the extreme terms your grandfather did =) but there is indeed a marked difference between his singing up to about 1950, and afterwards. Still, it doesn't seem that his technique had caused any real decline to the voice before his death, and interestingly...

[ShawDAMAN]

.....he seemed to be "reining it in" towards the end. He was working with a fine coach (Giacomo Spadoni) at the time of his death, and his operatic recordings for his final film in 1959 (Aida grand march, Otello finale, etc and his best "vesti la giubba") were among his best. Quite restrained compared to some of his other singing in the 50's....

[ShawDAMAN]

..he also worked with Spadoni on the 1956 "Serenade" soundtrack which includes his best "amor ti vieta," "o paradiso," the "Di quella" you like and the excellent Otello monologue. So had he been better directed of course, wow what we might have. But without consistent coaching/direction, and singing as much pop as he did, his singing was bound to get a bit sloppy...

[ShawDAMAN]

...add to that depression, drinking, and general abuse of health (also somewhat hollywood related, crash dieting etc) and it's not hard to see why his singing could be inconsistent. Sad.

[ShawDAMAN]

Another interesting point is, (also somewhat like Di Stefano,) having such a fantastic natural voice might have have served to blind him to the need to change his singing, if changes were necessary.

But, he was well trained to begin with. So I don't think it would have been too difficult for him to tighten it back up so to speak. Especially if he had entered the opera world in earnest as he was contracted to do at the time of his death. Doesn't really matter now I guess. =)

[derekmcgovern]

GermanOperaSinger: Hollywood didn't "ruin" Lanza's voice; what it did was teach him bad stylistic habits & greatly undermine his self-esteem. As a result of the latter, he simply stopped performing in opera & (for 6 years) even in recital. His return to the concert stage in 1957-58 restored much of his confidence, & revived his operatic ambitions, although sadly by then his health was poor. But the voice had not been ruined, & moreover *some* of his 1958-59 recordings are stylistically superb.

[xTROJANxX]

the greatest tenor thats ever lived thanks great upload

[ShawDAMAN]

Thanks for checking