Mario Lanza/Luciano Pavarotti: O sole Mio

[PaulaBill1]

Pavarotti's high notes are incomparable, no comparison, and he has better control.

[jsphilb]

Mario Lanza was my dad's favorite, too. He listened to his recordings over and over again. Naturally, I also grew to appreciate his wonderful voice. I have a 3 record RCA set (33-1/3 rpm) that I still play several times per year. I mourned his early passing.

[greenislandl]

MARIO ++++++++++

[greenislandl]

LANZA'S VOICE  IS MORE POWEFUL...............

[beadadina]

I wasborn in 1947. My father,Marino Innocenti , used to sing Mario Lanza songs all the time. I think I had O Sole Mio down by the time I was 3. My dad's parents came to the US from Florence,Italy so I heard lots of Italian spoken in the home. And tons of Mario Lanza. He was my dad's favorite. I hear him now and wish I were young again and my dad were alive so I could tell him how much he sounded like Mario Lanza and how much I love him still.

[froggymom35]

froggymom35 it has been my pleasure to enjoy mario most of my life, i cried when he left us. i will always adore his voice like no other!

[CREQUIE]

lanza plus puissant,plus de nuances = voix naturelle unique !

lanza más potente, más matices = única voz natural!

lanza more powerful, more nuances = single natural voice!

lanza più potente, più sfumature = voce naturale unica!

Guy CREQUIE

[napejack]

mario,

[napejack]

mario

[meshell86]

such a loss...miss ya mario....the beauty ...the comfort..

[meshell86]

nothing like mario...always....such satin in his voice...

[meshell86]

ahhhhhh mario...what can god say....mario's voice has to this day not come close to anyone....but the young guy from australia,,,,maybe....pov...us­ed to walk new york city handing out jelly beans and singing to get people interested in opera..great loss for both of them..but mario.....no other voice EVER

[SpaghettiGirl1982]

I'm in my 20's & have just come into listening to Lanza recently. In the past, I always thought of him as just another Hollywood actor/singer - a good but not great vocalist. I'm just finding out this is not true. He was in fact not only an excellent but a "great" singer - up there with Pavarotti & Caruso & at times excelled both of them.

[BILLYBENSON100]

mario by a mile

[RAYMUNDITOSOLDIER]

GREAT ´PAVAROTTI!!!!

[sugarbist]

Mario is very involved and does a wonderful interpretaion of this old favorite.

[chaiter1]

There are so many comments here that miss the point completely. Luciano's rendition is of sunny quality, and you can feel the sea in it. And the second verse with the beautiful pianissimo building up a crescendo, and it is so ringing.

Lanzas version is lower and more like the lover with pathos.More effort on high notes.

These are both valid approaches. By the way, since Lanza sings a lower tessitura and more closely miked, you can think it is fuller or stronger.

[sugarbist]

@chaiter1 I think they are both singing in the same key. Pavarotti is just more lyric so it seems higher. Lanza would have no reason to lower it as ML had no problem with the higher tessitura

[jfarahjunior]

Quem é Pavarotti para alcançar Mario Lanza. A voz de Mario Lanza é extraordinariamente e infinitamente melhor do que Luciano (Bom cantor) Incomparável Lanza e sua sensibilidade artistica insuperável. Observa-se um e outro. Lanza é simplesmente top of top. Ele incorpora o tema, a música com sua belíssima voz.

[stleoitalian]

Great just missing is Neapolitan dialect in both Mario & Luciano way of singing , but as voice let them duel it out in heaven rip

[mitrattoni]

Belini7verdiIndudablemente es cierto lo que mencionas (no para los demás).lanza puso un estilo único de canto..no se media con las terminaciones de las notas de algunas de sus melodías....(un ejemplo la danza)...y por si no lo sabes ...fue una voz natural (como hay pocos) además...fue versatil con su voz......y en esto, esta Pavarotti estas miles de kilómetros de lanza. ah ¡¡ y lo admiro .........Pavarotti

[luisbravovillaran]

Pavarotti ha sido un magnifico tenor de opera (y también de variedad de otros géneros); nadie puede discutirlo, de los mejores.

Lanza (grabaciones bastante más anitiguas teconólogicamente hablando), muestra una potencia de voz intepretativa incomparable.

Hagan el ejercicio de escuchar "La fleur que tu m´avais jetee" (Carmen) o "Non ti scordar di me" de Lanza, Pavarotti (su duo de la última con Vanessa Williams es maravilloso) y Domingo; y verán sin ninguna duda quién es (o ha sido) EL MEJOR.

[zanta5000]

me encantaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa alfin lo encontre

[indgiu]

lanza definitely had a remarkably beautiful voice

[aylaearrais]

MARIO LANZA É MELHOR EM TUDO. VOLUME DE VOZ, MALEABILIDADE, SENTIMENTO QUE A CANÇÃO EXPRESSA, ARRANJO MUSICAL.LANZA , UMA VOZ, UMA LENDA FOREVER!

[jgraif]

the really sad thing is that pavarotti could have EASILY infused this beautiful song with the same thoughtful interpretation and emotion as lanza. why he chose not to do so will forever remain a mystery to me.

[bellini7verdi]

jajajajajajajajajajajajajajaja­.............pavarotti esta por encima de mario lanza......millones de kilometros...........simplemen­te es la voz de entre las voces.......por siempre............ejecucion..­.voz...interpretacion....poder­........seguridad...romanticis­mo.......y encima belcantismooooo...purooooooo..­......aparte de ser el mas grande........

[jakelic]

Mario singing from the heart with all respect to maestro Pavarotti. Only Corelli can be compared with Mario

[bellini7verdi]

@jakelic canta como luis mariano......desde su arquetipo como cantante en el mundo ..cumpliendo su rol........el de estrellas del music hall........la revista....y holliwood..pero pavarotti..es la opera en su mas profunda esencia.....poder...y gloria....y nadie mejor que el para cantar esto......un hombre perfectooooo

[jennygirl709]

My opinion, there is no question, Mr. Lanza is the MAN. I really enjoy listening to Pavarotti, Domingo, and Carreras. My mother would play the cds when I was a child, as well as Mario Lanza's. Now that I am an adult (50) I appreciate this class of music and thank my mother for sharing it. It's sad that Mario died so young, but is music lives on thanks to his fans. - jLjames sacramento,ca

[jakelic]

@jennygirl709 

[chapallen1]

This confirms that Mario Lanza IS the world's greatest tenor. It was opera's loss but his films give us everlasting joy beyond compare

[PMikeMMM]

Pavarotti: technically perfect, with great and powerful voice. Impressive!!!

Lanza: the best voice ever, passion, colour, depth, soul. Just perfect!!!

[icanhearyoubreathing]

Pav seems to be a bit farther away from the mike than Mario's version which might account for less depth. Reminds me of Jim Reeves who started out sounding like Hank Williams but moved closer and closer to the mike revealing one of the mellowest voices ever.-- In my opinion, Lanza benefited from a far better orchestra or at least a better arrangement in his version. Lanza's version has a Hollywood feel to it .

[rockmeistro]

Pavarotti will always be my favorite, but this is essentially Lanza's song. I would've liked to hear Pavarotti sing this when his voice was in its prime. Both amazing singers.

[maritere1939]

Mario is the best, he sings from the heart, this is the big difference, and what a voice, omg!!! I like Pavarotti but I prefer Mario by all meanings

[Erdrick345]

Please..Lanzo is not very good with this song..compare to Caruso, Corelli, Gigli, Bjoerling, Schipa and he is way inferior in all respects

[luvperu1]

From the first time I heard Mario Lanza sing, my heart was captured..

He sung with emotion , not just singing words.

It is sad he died so young.

[baccala12]

Lanza sings like he has the heart of a napulitano and sounds like he is napulitano - I hear my people in him. My emotion wells up.

Pav sings this like background music. I do love the guy's work in general - but Lanza for all his imperfections takes your heart and owns it when he sings.

[huitzilapotli]

lanza is much better

[bacassa]

I love both tenors this song belongs to lanza!!!

[rouman7]

like pav, but noone, has a voice like lanza....

[WhiteLionV1]

i think lanza is lanza and pavarotti is pavarotti

equal in class but different in form

my preference is Pavarotti but that is not to say i think he is better than lanza

[checkmatein6]

Mario Lanza Brutal, calida, tremendo. Pavarotti Bello, Cuidado.

[Etnalleb]

It's seems 99% of the comments agree Lanza was better and i totally agree. Pav was a pure lyric while Lanza was a Lirrico/Spinto with a dramatic quality of timbre and color in his voice that no other tenor to my knowledge had. Lanza had the most open clear tones of any-one i have ever heard although DiStefano in his early days was close. The other difference, Pav sang notes Lanza sang words and drove them right through your heart. ML's diction&enunciation much better than Pav, No Contest here.

[daminzs]

i like pav, but lanza has a unique voice, that i think is by far the best...

[blogaguantegimnasia]

Para mi canta mejor el Charly Carrio

[greattenors]

Wow! Curiously enough. Lanza sings better Neapolitan style and accent than PAV. Having been both very mediocre Neapoitan singers on their lives. Going to the voices, Lanza`s timbre in unreacheable by Pav.

[Aneurin1]

Agree with shawDAMAN.

[barryoderfer]

Always Lanza when comparing these two.

[jackfrost281]

perfectly put

[jgraif]

@barryoderfer the difference is that pavarotti ALWAYS treated these songs as exercises and throw-aways, whereas lanza ALWAYS afforded them as much effort as any opera aria.

[castorp278]

Pavarotti's voice is more italian.

[MrCurryFan]

What does that mean?

[Tenorroma]

Lanza is the greatest tenor ever lived...

[mcc1691]

Pavarotti Ok, but Lanza better. More depth and ring to his voice. My opinion only.

[ShawDAMAN]

I agree. Lanza better.

Sometimes I find it difficult to describe that certain something in Lanza's voice that sets him apart from many other tenors.... "More depth" is close.... his fullness of voice was amazing. As one fan said, "[Lanza] makes many other tenors sound thin and reedy."

[megacallas]

I also agree. Every song by Lanza is unique. His voice is amazing and warm at the same time; Pavarotti is perfect, but he does not reach me as Lanza does.

[ShawDAMAN]

Me neither.