I agree that Lanza is the most underrated tenor of all time: not by the general public, but by the opera world. This is as powerful and heartfelt a rendition of this aria that exists anywhere. His emotion is as compelling as any.
Very few tenors attempt that interpolated B flat...it exposes the voice too much and I can only recall a recording of Bjoerling doing it later in life. Not Pavarotti and certainly not Domingo. Bravo Mario!
@boricuamuzik Underrated? Not at all. Just search with Google and find out how many websites are dedicated to him. He was and still is very popular and many famous tenors admit that they have become singers, because they admired him. No, he is not underrated.
@Aetion Well for a lot of younger singers haven't even heard of this man! I couldn't believe it! Of course I know all the accomplishments he had in his career and how popular he was in his prime but ask anyone under 23 if they have ever heard of his Be My Love from his film Taste of New Orleans. Or his great Addio alla madre from Cavalleria Rusticana? I would be surprised how many will say, "Oh yeah, he is one of the greatest tenors of all time!" Obviously there are exceptions.
@seoerk Not quite true - he sang at Hollywood Bowl, for one. Recognized critics of the time and his voice say it was simply a matter of his choice - and who can say t hat he was wrong? Look how popular he still is... Not my favorite, but certainly better than numerous tenors who DID make careers onstage!
Yes,Mario Lanza(Arlnold Cocozza his real name) was the most world's greatest tenors ever remembers for me.When I was a child my first record by MGM was a Mario's opera singers,his film "The seven hills of Rome".
Just play "Non ti scordar di me" say of Pavarotti (the version with Vanessa Williams is beautiful), B. Gigli, Leonardi, Di Stefano, Boccelli, Domingo, Carreras and Lanza and make other people to listen without identifying who's singing and then make your survey ...
Overall, I prefer Giuseppe di Stefano's version of lamento di federico, for his mezza di voce; I feel that for the most part, Lanza gives only the full blast of sound.
However, this rendition is excellent. The last "ah! mi fai tanto male, ahime" with the interpolated B4 is absolutely heartstopping
hei any of you guys can tell me other renditions of this aria where the tenor sings that high note ( c ? ) at the end, just before "mi fai tanto male, ahime " ? until now i only heard it on lanza
lanza took this song to its depths of musical and emotional drama. Bravo Lanza! Pavarotti's phrasing of the piece is less delectable than this rendition!
There has been many great singers, but hand on heart can any of us say that any singer put as much emotion in a song and do it seemingly with so little effort as Mario Lanza. If God had not wanted this man by his side at such a young age, we would today be talking about the greatest singer of all time. Don't forget he was only 38 when he died. What if his voice would have had time to mature into his forties and fifties. God bless you Mario Lanza.
There are not enough words to designate such greatness. His supreme voice coupled with its absolute beauty of tone, his genuine acting, his beautiful manly presence on stage, makes his interpretation of this aria a true work of art.
hahahahahahaha!! I love the breath before the B!! making everyone believe like he wasent going to sing it. I was fooled! I'm actually cracking up!! LOL. What a great voce!!!
I love DiStefano and Pavarotti's versions, but I think this is the most powerful, heart breaking version ever. Lanza is the most underrated and under-appreciated tenor of all timie. This is powerful, melodic, and emotional: that finish just shakes you to the core. Bravo, Mario: there are a ton of us who will forever bear witness to your greatness.
I first heard Mario Lanza sing in a movie, "The Toast of New Orleans." It was aired in the evening on a Saturday. The rest of the family was asleep. Dad and I watched it on the family room black and white television in the early sixties here in Phoenix. I couldn't believe the full rich sound that came out of this man. Here was this young kid (me) fully engaged with a movie about a tenor who I knew nothing about. This was my introduction with Mr. Lanza.
He would have made a great Otello - best I've heard on stage (Met) or recordings. And his just with piano live performance of this aria in London on his final tour of Europe before his death - well that to me more than proves what I have felt since the first days I heard my Italian-American brother - this paesano does us proud - glorious!
Lanza was a great singer - just great -- one of the best. Yes he did some (to me) lousy stuff (his mind was sometimes not with it) but when he was of right mind he filled heart and soul like no one else except Callas and that is what singing is all about to me.
Thank you. This is the best rendition of this aria that I have ever heard. The first time I heard it, I had to sit down. I couldn't believe how perfect it was. It makes me so happy that after so many years after his death, he still has so many fans.
ivanfrancesco : mi auguro che lei stia scherzando, perché l'ha sparata piuttosto grossa. M. Lanza ( dal mio punto di vista lontano antenato di A. Bocelli ) ha sempre cantato solo nei film e, in linea di massima, non aveva la più pallida idea di che cosa significasse cantare integralmente un'opera. Si ascolti Corelli, Del Monaco, Bonisolli, Raimondi, Pavarotti, Giacomini, Di Stefano ( solo da giovane ) Kraus e compagnia e poi capirà che Lanza, rispetto a loro, non era NESSUNO. Saluti.
One of the greatest losses to the world's opera houses was the fact Lanza only performed twice in repertory. This is a voice for the ages: power, passsion, color -- perfection. Imagine if he had honed it even further by performing on the world's stage. But his pathological self-doubt kept him away. This is a great, great Federico...bravo, Mario.
Lanza sounds much spinto in this movie!!! Spanish star Sarita Montiel was ravishingly beautiful in those days! I detest Alfredo Kraus´s sound with all his technique and musical "good taste". Beautiful Lanza´s sound will last forever!Mario Lanza - An American (Hollywood) Vocal Tragedy...
This aria was the favourite of Beniamino Gigli. His performance was so vivid and sensitive that he used to cry during the singing, and his voice didn't crank. I agree that this is Mario's best film in terms of repertoire, singing and even acting. His version of Nessun Dorma near the end of the movie is one of the best ever. At it least it equals Luciano's.
Mario Lanza belongs to the famous and outstanding italian school of singing , the same unrivalled tradition that Corelli , Del Monaco , Tito Gobbi and many other great singers follow ......No more comments please on this ...no more comments ...bcs all the others came after the Italian Masters of opera ...
I think that Mario was the victim of musical snobbery, he was a great tenor as far as I am concerned. Such natural musicality and ability to communicate intense emotion. soundclickdotcom/cybertenor
Cuando Lanza estaba en su cuspide las criticas de los italianos de que no cantaba,solo "gritaba" cundio y lamentablemente desaprovechamos un excelente tenor quien luego moriria muy joven y no tuvo la fama que realmente merecia,pese a su carencia de "escuela acedemica" en el sentido clasico de la palabra.
Eh escuchado a todos los tenores, gigli,caruso,monaco,si stefano,volpi,krauss, etc etc.y para mi, el insuperable, en todas sus cualidades, y eso que tenia una tecnica pobre, fue lanza.ademas de la envidia que genero y aun genera sus dotes,que oy dia no existe tenor que almenos lo iguale.
e) Por tanto es una interpretacion subjetiva escribir: "este es el mejor cantante", "este es el mejor director", "esta es la mejor interpretacion"...o bien-usando calificativos negativos y ofensivos- afirmar que nadie supera a X ( dirigiendo ,interpretando un instrumento o cantando).
f) Nuestra subjetividad ,que creemos objetiva se fundamenta en nuestros propios parametros, gustos esteticos,conocimientos y modas incluso.
Tengo 41 años y escucho tenores y baritonos desde los 7. Estoy de acuerdo contigo en todo. En la actualidad la gente se conforma con la ecuación: 3 tenores = 1 Lanza. O 3 ladrones!!??? perdón.
no comparto contigo tu comentario.pero quizas tengas razón..y si de perfección quieres habla, hablemos del Maestro Alfredo kraus, el fue verdaderamente perfecto.
Kraus nunca tuvo un timbre bonito, ya que era nasal, aunque no dudo que tuvo una gran tecnica, pero todos sabemos que no canto mas alla de 15 Operas completas. los belcantistas son asi.
@arcot9 Yes i agree with you: the most under appreciated tenor in the world. I wonder why.....fantastic voice, fantastic rendition, very handsome......
@maggipaolo You ask why? I tell you why. Just pure jealousy, lots of it, that's why. And I agree with you both, there will never come a tenor with such a magnificent voice, so kind and sweet as a human being and a singer so handsome. Never ever.
@arcot9 Excuse me??? you must be very young! Until Pavarotti came along, Lanza was the best known tenor after Enrico Caruso... deservedly so, for all the splendid film work he did!
@Randidan I didn't say he was unknown, I said he was under appreciated...in an Operatic sense. Please read carefully. He chose to pursue Hollywood instead of what I think was his true passion...and what he was born for.......Opera!
@arcot9 Thanx for clearing up your statement! You didn't say "in an Operatic sense" before. But operatically speaking, he gets/got what he deserves: an opera singer must work onstage where the voice can be properly heard and judged. Many singers don't sound right, or the same, on stage as on record, tv etc. Bocelli sings opera, but he's a failure at it onstage -- the voice just isn't right, good as he is elsewhere...
@Randidan I hear what u are saying. I know someone who studied with Rosati...a famous teacher who Lanza studied with. Rosati told Lanza he was not yet ready to hit the "Operatic" path.....a problem with the registers...and that if Lanza wanted to go and do what he wanted to do.....Rosati would not teach him anymore. And so Lanza went to Hollywood.
@arcot9 Sounds like what I know from others in years past--However, I think he was better prepared than Di Stefano! HIS voice was stunningly beautiful (records don't begin to do him justice!) but he threw it away singing the wrong things -- I don't recall Lanza ever doing that...
Lanza's performance exhibits him at his best and most mature level of vocal ability. This is a splendid piece of work and one of the best by one of the world's greatest tenors and one of the greatest singers of all time.
Me too! Unfortunately all we are left is dreaming... And listen interminably to all his great recordings until our ears start hurting - as they say over here before a voice like his.
I rather doubt it. Such a recording would certainly have been officially released by now, or at least be circulating through the "underground". As for Roberto Cresca's remarks below, he writes of Lanza: "he does nothing of what is written...I find nothing fantastic...", followed by "he is possibly just the most overrated singer in history". Amazing, isn't it?
Glad to hear Lanza really commits to the sound here and utilizes that gorgeous voice(some of his opera performances tended to sound a bit MGM musical-ish for my taste). This is wonderful though
I applaud wit both hands your words on the comment above.
The lines that you posted to accompany this video are not only most beautiful but the exact truth respecting his genuine acting and superior singing of this wonderful aria.
Khankonchak: The first line in my previous comment was of course to applaud your comment somewhere about deaf people (strange, I wrote it in the proper box but it appeared on top...), as you guessed I'm sure.
This is one of the best interpretation of any aria I had ever see. I have no words for this magnific demostration of art and good taste. He is really a man suffering for love....The end: Me fai tanto male! Ahime! You hurt me so bad.....
Mario Lanza brought out the best of any song or aria that he sang....he was truly the greatest tenor of all time bar none......what a terrible waste and what a terrible loss to the world.....
LANZA studied with ENRICO ROSATI, the teacher of the GREAT BENIAMINO GIGLI and JAMES MELTON, ALSO HEARD ON You Tube. There are NO singers on the operatic stage today who can compare.
It is a beautiful intepretation, I must admit. It doesn't, however, make me wonder why he was recognized for having a animalistic, spinto instrument that could not carry in an opera hall. He was however, the greatest 'People's Tenor' of the last century.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
Unfortunately, to poor reviews. He performed the role three times before developing a 'Throat infection' and dissapearing from the world of opera. I do agree though, if he has chosen to pursue staged opera his path would have been succesful; I still feel that he found his niche performing in 'Serendade's' manner - this style imortalised him where opera may not have.
Lanza was contracted for and performed the role of Pinkerton twice- not three times- on April 8 and 10, 1948. There was no "throat infection" excuse on this occasion, and the reviews were quite favorable. Indeed, general manager Walter Herbert (of the New Orleans Opera) offered him La Traviata for the following season. Lanza initially accepted, but the appearances were later cancelled due to his film obligations. As we all know, he never returned to the operatic stage.
Continued: "Walter S. Jenkins, writing in the Times-Pycayune concurred: "The choice of Mario Lanza as Pinkerton was admirable. His diction was excellent...[and] the quality of his voice was a delight to hear." Lanza was booked to return to New Orleans in 1949 as Alfredo in La Traviata, but by then, as Armando Cesari observes, "he was already deeply engulfed in the Hollywood machinery and consequently never learned the role."
As far as I've heard, he did well: "Reviewing the tenor's opening night performance as Pinkerton on April 8th 1948, Laurence Odel wrote in the St. Louis News:
Mario Lanza performed his duties as Lieut. Pinkerton with considerable verve and dash. Rarely have we seen a more superbly romantic leading tenor. His exceptionally beautiful voice helps immeasurably...The combination of good looks and vocal ability should prove most helpful to Mr. Lanza in any of his more earnest undertakings."
what sort of crap is that?...his reviews and critics for his performances in Madame Butterfly in New Orlenas in 1948 where more than good
Laurence Odel wrote in the St. Louis News:
Mario Lanza performed his duties as Lieut. Pinkerton with considerable verve and dash. Rarely have we seen a more superbly romantic leading tenor. His exceptionally beautiful voice helps immeasurably...
Just one review of a few...and he perfomed the role twice and was invited for "La Traviata" next year.
This is a very good rendition and many people here have commented on their preferences.This is possibly my 2nd or 3rd favorite version of this piece,surpassed only by Gigli and a recording of itmade in 1929 or 1930 by the great lyric tenor,Tito Schipa.But all three are wonderful.Che bella canzone e che bella voce.Bravo Mario!
Mr. Lanza's incomparable interpretation of this aria is something for which is difficult to find the proper words To say he is magnificent is to say nothing His powerful voice, dramatic expression and beautiful presence on stage have no equal Thank you for the video
I've heard Tagliavini and I'm sorry, my friend, but I'm afraid that I cannot agree with you here. Federico is a despondent young man on the verge of suicide, and I need a performance that makes me FEEL his utter despair. Personally, I don't want a light tenorino crooning this softly at me. I want someone who will shake me to the core. Lanza does exactly that. In addition, Tagliavini's comparatively wispy timbre lacks the richness, body, and color of Lanza's voice. To each his own, I guess.
I also thought that Tagliavini's version was the best until I heard Gigli's "Lamento" from 1950 in a concert from Buenos Aires... Sublime... No words... Please, try it if you get the chance...
Noone will ever sing this as well or better than Mario......if he were jewish, he would have been a great cantor.....
MrSammyscroll 1 month ago
One of the best tenors ever. OMG he's like my new hero. Amazing
princepeterwolf 2 months ago
Who are those dumb blind animals who voted NO?
ejabarov 3 months ago
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@ejabarov Justin Bieber and Britney Spears fans
petion2010 3 months ago
I agree that Lanza is the most underrated tenor of all time: not by the general public, but by the opera world. This is as powerful and heartfelt a rendition of this aria that exists anywhere. His emotion is as compelling as any.
1906sfjd 4 months ago
This audience sucks. They should be screaming for more from this man.
LetItBe920 5 months ago
@LetItBe920 I think it's from a movie.
petion2010 3 months ago
2nd greatest tenor who ever lived
vborto09 6 months ago
Very few tenors attempt that interpolated B flat...it exposes the voice too much and I can only recall a recording of Bjoerling doing it later in life. Not Pavarotti and certainly not Domingo. Bravo Mario!
finetoonanimation 6 months ago
@finetoonanimation
Well it's interesting you say that , since in my car I have a cassette with Domingo doing exactly that. And Pavarotti did it often too.
MuscleDaddyCMH 3 months ago
@finetoonanimation
oh , and by the way, I agree with lots of people that this is one of the best there is.....
MuscleDaddyCMH 3 months ago
Love this..he is my favorite..wish it could have been the whole song with this quality
kimpag647 7 months ago
His Ave Maria, filmed in the church apparently for a movie with a beautiful head covered woman... Is Sublime*
fireintheskyable 8 months ago 2
@fireintheskyable from the movie serenade.
hobo1975 1 month ago
probably the most underrated tenor of all time.
boricuamuzik 9 months ago
@boricuamuzik Underrated? Not at all. Just search with Google and find out how many websites are dedicated to him. He was and still is very popular and many famous tenors admit that they have become singers, because they admired him. No, he is not underrated.
Aetion 4 months ago
Comment removed
boricuamuzik 4 months ago
@Aetion Well for a lot of younger singers haven't even heard of this man! I couldn't believe it! Of course I know all the accomplishments he had in his career and how popular he was in his prime but ask anyone under 23 if they have ever heard of his Be My Love from his film Taste of New Orleans. Or his great Addio alla madre from Cavalleria Rusticana? I would be surprised how many will say, "Oh yeah, he is one of the greatest tenors of all time!" Obviously there are exceptions.
boricuamuzik 4 months ago
to vladutze84
yes i know of at least one other' high c at the end version" and that isJussi Bjorlings
rendition under Alberto Erede recorded sometime in the early 50s well worth tracking down if you can. but there are many others.
opera888able 10 months ago
@seoerk Not quite true - he sang at Hollywood Bowl, for one. Recognized critics of the time and his voice say it was simply a matter of his choice - and who can say t hat he was wrong? Look how popular he still is... Not my favorite, but certainly better than numerous tenors who DID make careers onstage!
Randidan 11 months ago
Yes,Mario Lanza(Arlnold Cocozza his real name) was the most world's greatest tenors ever remembers for me.When I was a child my first record by MGM was a Mario's opera singers,his film "The seven hills of Rome".
Memosplays 1 year ago
Just play "Non ti scordar di me" say of Pavarotti (the version with Vanessa Williams is beautiful), B. Gigli, Leonardi, Di Stefano, Boccelli, Domingo, Carreras and Lanza and make other people to listen without identifying who's singing and then make your survey ...
luisbravovillaran 1 year ago
Overall, I prefer Giuseppe di Stefano's version of lamento di federico, for his mezza di voce; I feel that for the most part, Lanza gives only the full blast of sound.
However, this rendition is excellent. The last "ah! mi fai tanto male, ahime" with the interpolated B4 is absolutely heartstopping
zfranklyn 1 year ago
hei any of you guys can tell me other renditions of this aria where the tenor sings that high note ( c ? ) at the end, just before "mi fai tanto male, ahime " ? until now i only heard it on lanza
vladutze84 1 year ago
undifination voic
peyman3380 1 year ago
lanza took this song to its depths of musical and emotional drama. Bravo Lanza! Pavarotti's phrasing of the piece is less delectable than this rendition!
outtaker 1 year ago
Sans l'image,on pourrait presque y croire!..
abracadabranque 1 year ago
There has been many great singers, but hand on heart can any of us say that any singer put as much emotion in a song and do it seemingly with so little effort as Mario Lanza. If God had not wanted this man by his side at such a young age, we would today be talking about the greatest singer of all time. Don't forget he was only 38 when he died. What if his voice would have had time to mature into his forties and fifties. God bless you Mario Lanza.
antmusic76 1 year ago 3
lol I love how he puts the pause right before the high B. Is he gonna do it? Awww...BAM!
BenjaminDLarsen 1 year ago
One word....EPIC!
Many thanks for posting this great video.
DiamondDEK 1 year ago
There are not enough words to designate such greatness. His supreme voice coupled with its absolute beauty of tone, his genuine acting, his beautiful manly presence on stage, makes his interpretation of this aria a true work of art.
pianist527 1 year ago 2
fantastic!
colabama 1 year ago 2
man i wish i had a voice like that and im not really even an opera fan lol
tukz07 1 year ago 2
LOL, his late renditions remember me Villazón. That means I didn't lilke them... :-S
LordMgls 1 year ago
hahahahahahaha!! I love the breath before the B!! making everyone believe like he wasent going to sing it. I was fooled! I'm actually cracking up!! LOL. What a great voce!!!
izrah82 1 year ago
UN-BE-LE-VA-BLE!!!
Buzaglod 1 year ago 2
questo tenore cantava con l'anima. Grande voce e grande passione
melodylane1753 1 year ago 2
I love DiStefano and Pavarotti's versions, but I think this is the most powerful, heart breaking version ever. Lanza is the most underrated and under-appreciated tenor of all timie. This is powerful, melodic, and emotional: that finish just shakes you to the core. Bravo, Mario: there are a ton of us who will forever bear witness to your greatness.
jd1906sf 1 year ago 6
The best voice ever, Mario Lanza.
pedurrod 2 years ago 7
this shows how good lanza was, a voice that leaves the rest far behinde..
rouman7 2 years ago 6
Beautiful, adorable, adorável Mario Lanza!
jackieenes 2 years ago 2
I first heard Mario Lanza sing in a movie, "The Toast of New Orleans." It was aired in the evening on a Saturday. The rest of the family was asleep. Dad and I watched it on the family room black and white television in the early sixties here in Phoenix. I couldn't believe the full rich sound that came out of this man. Here was this young kid (me) fully engaged with a movie about a tenor who I knew nothing about. This was my introduction with Mr. Lanza.
conlagrime 2 years ago 3
to continue...
He would have made a great Otello - best I've heard on stage (Met) or recordings. And his just with piano live performance of this aria in London on his final tour of Europe before his death - well that to me more than proves what I have felt since the first days I heard my Italian-American brother - this paesano does us proud - glorious!
baccala12 2 years ago 5
Lanza was a great singer - just great -- one of the best. Yes he did some (to me) lousy stuff (his mind was sometimes not with it) but when he was of right mind he filled heart and soul like no one else except Callas and that is what singing is all about to me.
baccala12 2 years ago 4
Thank you. This is the best rendition of this aria that I have ever heard. The first time I heard it, I had to sit down. I couldn't believe how perfect it was. It makes me so happy that after so many years after his death, he still has so many fans.
verdiana116 2 years ago 8
mai udita cosi.............GRANDE LANZA
ivanfrancesco 2 years ago
This i spinetingling.. Wow!
kgarmaker123 2 years ago 7
amazing, his voice takes my breath away
Dixielfc21 2 years ago 5
bellissimo l'acuto finale,solo kraus lo supera di tono su quest'aria
gli altri tenori non salgono cosi
andyroma72 2 years ago
lanza e' stato il piu' grande.......la sua voce da tenore drammatico e' insuperabile anche ai giorni nostri
ivanfrancesco 2 years ago
ivanfrancesco : mi auguro che lei stia scherzando, perché l'ha sparata piuttosto grossa. M. Lanza ( dal mio punto di vista lontano antenato di A. Bocelli ) ha sempre cantato solo nei film e, in linea di massima, non aveva la più pallida idea di che cosa significasse cantare integralmente un'opera. Si ascolti Corelli, Del Monaco, Bonisolli, Raimondi, Pavarotti, Giacomini, Di Stefano ( solo da giovane ) Kraus e compagnia e poi capirà che Lanza, rispetto a loro, non era NESSUNO. Saluti.
31122051 2 years ago
I'm not ashamed to say, 'I cried.'
jambro777 2 years ago 3
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Cannot be matched!
atenorforjesus 2 years ago
no one can match Lanza. Nor ever will
jackfrost281 2 years ago 15
One of the greatest losses to the world's opera houses was the fact Lanza only performed twice in repertory. This is a voice for the ages: power, passsion, color -- perfection. Imagine if he had honed it even further by performing on the world's stage. But his pathological self-doubt kept him away. This is a great, great Federico...bravo, Mario.
jd1906sf 2 years ago 10
Me sigo quedando con la version de Kauffman es fantastica
martinmontes28 2 years ago
Lanza sounds much spinto in this movie!!! Spanish star Sarita Montiel was ravishingly beautiful in those days! I detest Alfredo Kraus´s sound with all his technique and musical "good taste". Beautiful Lanza´s sound will last forever!Mario Lanza - An American (Hollywood) Vocal Tragedy...
listeningtoit 2 years ago 2
I totally agree with you
marcorosca 2 years ago
This is why Bocelli is called second rate :p
flaze3 2 years ago 4
I olve Lanza too, but you could check Jonas Kaufman Lamento di Federico, it's prety good
peladopilas 2 years ago
outstanding! the brilliant vocal school de l`E of maestro Rosatti!!!
svjatazarov 2 years ago 9
America lost a friend with Mario Lanza who made the movies come to life for Opera which has since declined
796824 2 years ago 2
I think this rendition is second to none!
Ardaline 2 years ago 5
By the way, the lady in the red dress is Sara Montiel, a Spanish actress who worked in Holywood as well.
pedurrod 2 years ago
I agree, Lanza had the best voice ever.
Other tenors may be better in other aspects, but none could equal his voice.
pedurrod 2 years ago 16
Мълчи и слушай !!!
angelavld92 2 years ago
he was the voice, noone will ever match him. his voice was like no other, superb. my choice of course........
rouman7 3 years ago 19
This aria was the favourite of Beniamino Gigli. His performance was so vivid and sensitive that he used to cry during the singing, and his voice didn't crank. I agree that this is Mario's best film in terms of repertoire, singing and even acting. His version of Nessun Dorma near the end of the movie is one of the best ever. At it least it equals Luciano's.
TheEternaut 3 years ago 8
Mario Lanza was the best tenor ever lived...
Tenorroma 3 years ago 8
I think Lanza was on the same level with Franco Corelli)))
dilvishselar 2 years ago 5
the most powerfull rendition of history the opera , very intensity and vocal colours.
bravissimo¡¡¡¡
malagarcha 3 years ago 22
Mario Lanza belongs to the famous and outstanding italian school of singing , the same unrivalled tradition that Corelli , Del Monaco , Tito Gobbi and many other great singers follow ......No more comments please on this ...no more comments ...bcs all the others came after the Italian Masters of opera ...
Phaidra69 3 years ago
I think that Mario was the victim of musical snobbery, he was a great tenor as far as I am concerned. Such natural musicality and ability to communicate intense emotion. soundclickdotcom/cybertenor
atenorforjesus 3 years ago 14
Cuando Lanza estaba en su cuspide las criticas de los italianos de que no cantaba,solo "gritaba" cundio y lamentablemente desaprovechamos un excelente tenor quien luego moriria muy joven y no tuvo la fama que realmente merecia,pese a su carencia de "escuela acedemica" en el sentido clasico de la palabra.
JorPove 3 years ago
Eh escuchado a todos los tenores, gigli,caruso,monaco,si stefano,volpi,krauss, etc etc.y para mi, el insuperable, en todas sus cualidades, y eso que tenia una tecnica pobre, fue lanza.ademas de la envidia que genero y aun genera sus dotes,que oy dia no existe tenor que almenos lo iguale.
ellicantropo 2 years ago
Ellicantropo: Yo parto de una linea de analisis secuencial que procuro sea objetiva:
a) Un compositor escribe una pieza (orquesta, piano, vocal,coral ,etc) con ciertas reglas de juego.
b) Un director de orquesta,un solista,un cantante dan una "reinterpretacion" al conjunto de notas y reglas ,produciendo la recreacion de la obra.
c) Esa recreacion puede apegarse estrictamente al guion o apartarse poco o mucho de el.
d) Como apreciemos nosotros el resultado es nuestra interpretacion subjetiva.
JorPove 2 years ago
e) Por tanto es una interpretacion subjetiva escribir: "este es el mejor cantante", "este es el mejor director", "esta es la mejor interpretacion"...o bien-usando calificativos negativos y ofensivos- afirmar que nadie supera a X ( dirigiendo ,interpretando un instrumento o cantando).
f) Nuestra subjetividad ,que creemos objetiva se fundamenta en nuestros propios parametros, gustos esteticos,conocimientos y modas incluso.
g) Por eso ningun critico pasa a la historia.
Cordialmente, Jorge
JorPove 2 years ago
Tengo 41 años y escucho tenores y baritonos desde los 7. Estoy de acuerdo contigo en todo. En la actualidad la gente se conforma con la ecuación: 3 tenores = 1 Lanza. O 3 ladrones!!??? perdón.
cristianstoppa2003 2 years ago
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LAMENTABLEMENTE no hace el agudo unido a las notas anteriores signo que no respiraba bien. Luciano es perfecto.
acitipo 2 years ago
no comparto contigo tu comentario.pero quizas tengas razón..y si de perfección quieres habla, hablemos del Maestro Alfredo kraus, el fue verdaderamente perfecto.
ellicantropo 2 years ago
Kraus nunca tuvo un timbre bonito, ya que era nasal, aunque no dudo que tuvo una gran tecnica, pero todos sabemos que no canto mas alla de 15 Operas completas. los belcantistas son asi.
acitipo 2 years ago
WOW...what a great rendition!
Probably the most under appreciated tenor in the world!!!
A throat that riviled Caruso...no doubt!!
arcot9 3 years ago 40
@arcot9 Yes i agree with you: the most under appreciated tenor in the world. I wonder why.....fantastic voice, fantastic rendition, very handsome......
maggipaolo 1 year ago
@maggipaolo You ask why? I tell you why. Just pure jealousy, lots of it, that's why. And I agree with you both, there will never come a tenor with such a magnificent voice, so kind and sweet as a human being and a singer so handsome. Never ever.
pianist527 4 months ago
@arcot9 Excuse me??? you must be very young! Until Pavarotti came along, Lanza was the best known tenor after Enrico Caruso... deservedly so, for all the splendid film work he did!
Randidan 1 year ago
@Randidan I didn't say he was unknown, I said he was under appreciated...in an Operatic sense. Please read carefully. He chose to pursue Hollywood instead of what I think was his true passion...and what he was born for.......Opera!
arcot9 1 year ago
@arcot9 Thanx for clearing up your statement! You didn't say "in an Operatic sense" before. But operatically speaking, he gets/got what he deserves: an opera singer must work onstage where the voice can be properly heard and judged. Many singers don't sound right, or the same, on stage as on record, tv etc. Bocelli sings opera, but he's a failure at it onstage -- the voice just isn't right, good as he is elsewhere...
Randidan 1 year ago
@Randidan I hear what u are saying. I know someone who studied with Rosati...a famous teacher who Lanza studied with. Rosati told Lanza he was not yet ready to hit the "Operatic" path.....a problem with the registers...and that if Lanza wanted to go and do what he wanted to do.....Rosati would not teach him anymore. And so Lanza went to Hollywood.
arcot9 1 year ago
@arcot9 Sounds like what I know from others in years past--However, I think he was better prepared than Di Stefano! HIS voice was stunningly beautiful (records don't begin to do him justice!) but he threw it away singing the wrong things -- I don't recall Lanza ever doing that...
Randidan 1 year ago
@Randidan Never like Bocelli. He has a good marketing machine behind him, but don't think he's even a good operatic singer.
petion2010 1 year ago
@arcot9 That's because he never perform on stage in the opera circle.
petion2010 8 months ago
The best rendition of this beautiful aria!!
sherom 3 years ago 8
never been a fan of lanza before, but he won me over with this one. he really nailed it
vladutze84 3 years ago 9
It's Vincent Price!!!!!!!!
kmillard 3 years ago 3
The most wonderful tenor voice singing one of the saddest most beautiful arias in the best dramatic rendition ever
pianist527 3 years ago 32
It is like listening to the voice of angels.
dimare3 3 years ago 11
WOW again AWESOME i love both MDM & Lanza's!!!
bacassa 3 years ago 2
zeer hartstochtelijk gezongen met veel power zoals we van Mario Lanza gewend zijn.
als je hem hoort zingen dan krijg je meteen dat blije gevoel,naar mijn mening de zanger met het meeste natuurlijke talent en zeer mooie klank
echt superb
bobtemming 3 years ago
Greatness, professionalism and beauty all at its utmost expression
pianist527 3 years ago 28
Lanza's performance exhibits him at his best and most mature level of vocal ability. This is a splendid piece of work and one of the best by one of the world's greatest tenors and one of the greatest singers of all time.
efiodice 3 years ago 43
A recording of that would be precious, wouldn't it?! I would pay good money for that =D
ShawDAMAN 3 years ago 11
Me too! Unfortunately all we are left is dreaming... And listen interminably to all his great recordings until our ears start hurting - as they say over here before a voice like his.
pianist527 3 years ago 6
I rather doubt it. Such a recording would certainly have been officially released by now, or at least be circulating through the "underground". As for Roberto Cresca's remarks below, he writes of Lanza: "he does nothing of what is written...I find nothing fantastic...", followed by "he is possibly just the most overrated singer in history". Amazing, isn't it?
khankonchak 3 years ago
@khankonchak I thought Mick Jagger was the most over rated singer in history!? LOL
gallantentry 1 year ago
Glad to hear Lanza really commits to the sound here and utilizes that gorgeous voice(some of his opera performances tended to sound a bit MGM musical-ish for my taste). This is wonderful though
Operafiend22 3 years ago 3
khankonchak ,agradece tu a dio entonces.
malagarcha 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
non fa nulla di ciò che è scritto...non trovo niente di fantastico...
robertocresca 3 years ago
Dio ha creato tutti generi di persone in questo mondo, includendo i sordi.
khankonchak 3 years ago 6
forse è solo il cantante più sopravvalutato della storia...
robertocresca 3 years ago
I applaud wit both hands your words on the comment above.
The lines that you posted to accompany this video are not only most beautiful but the exact truth respecting his genuine acting and superior singing of this wonderful aria.
pianist527 2 years ago 3
Khankonchak: The first line in my previous comment was of course to applaud your comment somewhere about deaf people (strange, I wrote it in the proper box but it appeared on top...), as you guessed I'm sure.
pianist527 2 years ago
absolutamente fantastisco, el mejor cantante
de opera de todos los tienpos, very amazing¡¡¡
malagarcha 3 years ago 3
This is my favorite rendition of this aria. Mario to me was the best!.
sherom 3 years ago 8
This is one of the best interpretation of any aria I had ever see. I have no words for this magnific demostration of art and good taste. He is really a man suffering for love....The end: Me fai tanto male! Ahime! You hurt me so bad.....
leonelfran 3 years ago 6
Thank you Warner Bros. for producing such a film and casting Lanza. This particular scene made me fall in love with the art of opera!
ncrunch 3 years ago 4
Mario mario ma que voce !!!!!!!!!!!!!! the best of the best ténor ever EVER !
jmmb1973 3 years ago 4
bonne interprétation
guy1938 3 years ago
Excelentísimo, un inigualable lamento de Federico. Una más de sus insólitas interpretaciones que han dejado huella.
Bravo Lanza!
Gerardeus 3 years ago 2
Noone has come close to Mario Lanza's Nessun Dorma......by far, the best version.....
scrollersam 3 years ago 2
Mario Lanza brought out the best of any song or aria that he sang....he was truly the greatest tenor of all time bar none......what a terrible waste and what a terrible loss to the world.....
scrollersam 3 years ago 4
LANZA studied with ENRICO ROSATI, the teacher of the GREAT BENIAMINO GIGLI and JAMES MELTON, ALSO HEARD ON You Tube. There are NO singers on the operatic stage today who can compare.
796824 3 years ago 2
It is a beautiful intepretation, I must admit. It doesn't, however, make me wonder why he was recognized for having a animalistic, spinto instrument that could not carry in an opera hall. He was however, the greatest 'People's Tenor' of the last century.
GKSchneider 3 years ago
I'm quite sure if Lanza had chosen to go the opera route he would have been successful- he sang Madame butterfly on stage
ShawDAMAN 3 years ago 5
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Unfortunately, to poor reviews. He performed the role three times before developing a 'Throat infection' and dissapearing from the world of opera. I do agree though, if he has chosen to pursue staged opera his path would have been succesful; I still feel that he found his niche performing in 'Serendade's' manner - this style imortalised him where opera may not have.
GKSchneider 3 years ago
Lanza was contracted for and performed the role of Pinkerton twice- not three times- on April 8 and 10, 1948. There was no "throat infection" excuse on this occasion, and the reviews were quite favorable. Indeed, general manager Walter Herbert (of the New Orleans Opera) offered him La Traviata for the following season. Lanza initially accepted, but the appearances were later cancelled due to his film obligations. As we all know, he never returned to the operatic stage.
khankonchak 3 years ago 2
Continued: "Walter S. Jenkins, writing in the Times-Pycayune concurred: "The choice of Mario Lanza as Pinkerton was admirable. His diction was excellent...[and] the quality of his voice was a delight to hear." Lanza was booked to return to New Orleans in 1949 as Alfredo in La Traviata, but by then, as Armando Cesari observes, "he was already deeply engulfed in the Hollywood machinery and consequently never learned the role."
ShawDAMAN 3 years ago 2
Comment removed
gallantentry 1 year ago
As far as I've heard, he did well: "Reviewing the tenor's opening night performance as Pinkerton on April 8th 1948, Laurence Odel wrote in the St. Louis News:
Mario Lanza performed his duties as Lieut. Pinkerton with considerable verve and dash. Rarely have we seen a more superbly romantic leading tenor. His exceptionally beautiful voice helps immeasurably...The combination of good looks and vocal ability should prove most helpful to Mr. Lanza in any of his more earnest undertakings."
ShawDAMAN 3 years ago 5
what sort of crap is that?...his reviews and critics for his performances in Madame Butterfly in New Orlenas in 1948 where more than good
Laurence Odel wrote in the St. Louis News:
Mario Lanza performed his duties as Lieut. Pinkerton with considerable verve and dash. Rarely have we seen a more superbly romantic leading tenor. His exceptionally beautiful voice helps immeasurably...
Just one review of a few...and he perfomed the role twice and was invited for "La Traviata" next year.
chris99103 3 years ago 4
This is a very good rendition and many people here have commented on their preferences.This is possibly my 2nd or 3rd favorite version of this piece,surpassed only by Gigli and a recording of itmade in 1929 or 1930 by the great lyric tenor,Tito Schipa.But all three are wonderful.Che bella canzone e che bella voce.Bravo Mario!
CraigFrancisSoto 3 years ago
Mr. Lanza's incomparable interpretation of this aria is something for which is difficult to find the proper words To say he is magnificent is to say nothing His powerful voice, dramatic expression and beautiful presence on stage have no equal Thank you for the video
pianist527 3 years ago 5
BRAVO ! BRAVO ! BRAVO ! best EVER realy !!!
jmmb1973 4 years ago 2
its good but hear for example tagliavini
OchsaufLerchenau 4 years ago
I've heard Tagliavini and I'm sorry, my friend, but I'm afraid that I cannot agree with you here. Federico is a despondent young man on the verge of suicide, and I need a performance that makes me FEEL his utter despair. Personally, I don't want a light tenorino crooning this softly at me. I want someone who will shake me to the core. Lanza does exactly that. In addition, Tagliavini's comparatively wispy timbre lacks the richness, body, and color of Lanza's voice. To each his own, I guess.
khankonchak 4 years ago
every tenor have someting...but LANZA its LANZA !!!!!
jmmb1973 4 years ago 2
I also thought that Tagliavini's version was the best until I heard Gigli's "Lamento" from 1950 in a concert from Buenos Aires... Sublime... No words... Please, try it if you get the chance...
antoheionn 4 years ago
Despite the lack of nuance, this is the greatest performance of this aria EVER. This made me want to be a singer.
drewski67 4 years ago
Grande,Grande,GRANDE Mario.
emiliano52 4 years ago 4