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This is not exactly the Mario Lanza "best-of" album its title might imply; it consists of recordings made during the last 18 months of the great crossover tenor's life, when he was beginning to suffer serious effects from the health problems that killed him in the fall of 1959. Still, it's hard to hear much of an effect from those problems -- a diminution of sheer vocal power in the selections from Rudolf Friml's musical The Vagabond King that make up the second half of the disc, perhaps, but no loss of the singer's broad, generous lyric impulse. Lanza was an operatic star who never quite got the chance to be an opera star. He took the lead role in the biopic The Great Caruso and sang Italian songs like those heard on the first half of the disc, but substance abuse brought him down just as he was preparing a sustained effort to reach the operatic stage. It's hard to imagine a career like his flourishing in the present day: there's plenty of crossover music, certainly, but no place in the pop world for a singer with a big Italian voice. After you hear this album, you'll feel that's a shame. The Neapolitan songs that open the disc are period pieces; a few of them have cheesy wordless backing choruses and odd arrangements with extended harmonies, drawn from the language of musical comedy, that don't quite fit. Still, they're nothing less than irresistible. On the Vagabond King selections, a few unreleased tracks from soprano Judith Raskin are added to make a rough outline of the whole show. The opening "Drinking Song" may cause one to wish that Lanza hadn't been so quick to affirm that "a flagon of wine will do." But sample the "Nocturne" and see if you don't agree that it's one of the great love serenades on records. RCA's Living Stereo sound was a major engineering accomplishment in the beginning, and the SACD remastering here is stupendous -- as good as it gets. Every bit of orchestral detail is there in total clarity. Check this album out and learn why an operatic singer was once at the top of the pop charts.
© Rovi Staff /TiVo
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Ennio Morricone, Arranger - Luigi Denza, Composer - Mario Lanza, Tenor - Giuseppe Turco, Lyricist
(P) Recorded Prior to 1972. All Rights Reserved by BMG Music
Michael Sobol, Re-Mastering Engineer - Jon M. Samuels, Producer - Enzo Fusco, Lyricist - Joaquin J. Lopes, Re-Mastering Engineer - Rodolfo Falvo, Composer - Mario Lanza, Tenor - Carlo Savina, Arranger
(P) Recorded Prior to 1972. All Rights Reserved by BMG Music
Edoardo Di Capua, Composer - Edoardo Di Capua, Lyricist - Vincenzo Russo, Composer - Vincenzo Russo, Lyricist - Mario Lanza, Tenor - Carlo Savina, Arranger
(P) Recorded Prior to 1972. All Rights Reserved by BMG Music
Ennio Morricone, Arranger - De Curtis, Composer - De Curtis, Lyricist - Mario Lanza, Tenor - Lardini C.O., Composer - Lardini C.O., Lyricist
(P) Recorded Prior to 1972. All Rights Reserved by BMG Music
Franco Ferrara, Conductor - Ennio Morricone, Arranger - Libero Bovio, Composer - Mario Lanza, Tenor - Ernesto de Curtis, Lyricist
Originally Recorded 1958. All rights reserved by BMG Music
Aniello Califano, Lyricist - Ennio Morricone, Arranger - Mario Lanza, Tenor - Enrico Cannio, Composer
(P) Recorded Prior to 1972. All Rights Reserved by BMG Music
Giuseppe Capaldo, Lyricist - Ennio Morricone, Arranger - Mario Lanza, Tenor - Salvatore Gambardella, Composer
(P) Recorded Prior to 1972. All Rights Reserved by BMG Music
E.A. Mario, Composer - E.A. Mario, Lyricist - Franco Ferrara, Conductor - Ennio Morricone, Arranger - Mario Lanza, Tenor
Originally Recorded 1958. All rights reserved by BMG Music
Giulio Genoino, Lyricist - Mariano Paolella, Composer - Franco Ferrara, Conductor - Mario Lanza, Tenor - Carlo Savina, Arranger - Guglielmo Cottrau, Composer
Originally Recorded 1958. All rights reserved by BMG Music
De Curtis, Composer - De Curtis, Lyricist - Libero Bovio, Composer - Libero Bovio, Lyricist - Mario Lanza, Tenor - Carlo Savina, Arranger
(P) Recorded Prior to 1972. All Rights Reserved by BMG Music
Luigi Pisano, Composer - Luigi Pisano, Lyricist - B. Cioffi, Composer - B. Cioffi, Lyricist - Mario Lanza, Tenor - Carlo Savina, Arranger
(P) Recorded Prior to 1972. All Rights Reserved by BMG Music
Nicola Valente, Composer - Nicola Valente, Lyricist - Ernesto Tagliaferri, Composer - Ernesto Tagliaferri, Lyricist - Franco Ferrara, Conductor - Ennio Morricone, Arranger - Libero Bovio, Composer - Libero Bovio, Lyricist - Mario Lanza, Tenor
Originally Recorded 1958. All rights reserved by BMG Music
Rudolf Friml, Composer - Rudolf Friml, Lyricist - Post, Composer - Post, Lyricist - Brian Hooker, Composer - Brian Hooker, Lyricist - Constantine Callinicos, Conductor - Mario Lanza, Tenor
(P) Recorded Prior to 1972. All Rights Reserved by BMG Music
Rudolf Friml, Composer - Rudolf Friml, Lyricist - Post, Composer - Post, Lyricist - Brian Hooker, Composer - Brian Hooker, Lyricist - Constantine Callinicos, Conductor - Mario Lanza, Tenor - Judith Raskin, Soprano
(P) Recorded Prior to 1972. All Rights Reserved by BMG Music
Rudolf Friml, Composer - Rudolf Friml, Lyricist - Post, Composer - Post, Lyricist - Brian Hooker, Composer - Brian Hooker, Lyricist - Constantine Callinicos, Conductor - Mario Lanza, Tenor - Judith Raskin, Soprano
(P) Recorded Prior to 1972. All Rights Reserved by BMG Music
Rudolf Friml, Composer - Rudolf Friml, Lyricist - Post, Composer - Post, Lyricist - Brian Hooker, Composer - Brian Hooker, Lyricist - Constantine Callinicos, Conductor - Mario Lanza, Tenor - Judith Raskin, Soprano
(P) Recorded Prior to 1972. All Rights Reserved by BMG Music
Rudolf Friml, Composer - Rudolf Friml, Lyricist - Post, Composer - Post, Lyricist - Brian Hooker, Composer - Brian Hooker, Lyricist - Constantine Callinicos, Conductor - Mario Lanza, Tenor - Judith Raskin, Soprano
(P) Recorded Prior to 1972. All Rights Reserved by BMG Music
Rudolf Friml, Composer - Rudolf Friml, Lyricist - Post, Composer - Post, Lyricist - Brian Hooker, Composer - Brian Hooker, Lyricist - Constantine Callinicos, Conductor - Mario Lanza, Tenor
(P) Recorded Prior to 1972. All Rights Reserved by BMG Music
Rudolf Friml, Composer - Rudolf Friml, Lyricist - Post, Composer - Post, Lyricist - Brian Hooker, Composer - Brian Hooker, Lyricist - Constantine Callinicos, Conductor - Mario Lanza, Tenor
(P) Recorded Prior to 1972. All Rights Reserved by BMG Music
Rudolf Friml, Composer - Rudolf Friml, Lyricist - Post, Composer - Post, Lyricist - Brian Hooker, Composer - Brian Hooker, Lyricist - Constantine Callinicos, Conductor - Mario Lanza, Tenor - Judith Raskin, Soprano
(P) Recorded Prior to 1972. All Rights Reserved by BMG Music
Album review
This is not exactly the Mario Lanza "best-of" album its title might imply; it consists of recordings made during the last 18 months of the great crossover tenor's life, when he was beginning to suffer serious effects from the health problems that killed him in the fall of 1959. Still, it's hard to hear much of an effect from those problems -- a diminution of sheer vocal power in the selections from Rudolf Friml's musical The Vagabond King that make up the second half of the disc, perhaps, but no loss of the singer's broad, generous lyric impulse. Lanza was an operatic star who never quite got the chance to be an opera star. He took the lead role in the biopic The Great Caruso and sang Italian songs like those heard on the first half of the disc, but substance abuse brought him down just as he was preparing a sustained effort to reach the operatic stage. It's hard to imagine a career like his flourishing in the present day: there's plenty of crossover music, certainly, but no place in the pop world for a singer with a big Italian voice. After you hear this album, you'll feel that's a shame. The Neapolitan songs that open the disc are period pieces; a few of them have cheesy wordless backing choruses and odd arrangements with extended harmonies, drawn from the language of musical comedy, that don't quite fit. Still, they're nothing less than irresistible. On the Vagabond King selections, a few unreleased tracks from soprano Judith Raskin are added to make a rough outline of the whole show. The opening "Drinking Song" may cause one to wish that Lanza hadn't been so quick to affirm that "a flagon of wine will do." But sample the "Nocturne" and see if you don't agree that it's one of the great love serenades on records. RCA's Living Stereo sound was a major engineering accomplishment in the beginning, and the SACD remastering here is stupendous -- as good as it gets. Every bit of orchestral detail is there in total clarity. Check this album out and learn why an operatic singer was once at the top of the pop charts.
© Rovi Staff /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 20 track(s)
- Total length: 01:06:37
- Main artists: Mario Lanza
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Living Stereo
- Genre: Classical
(P) 1995 BMG Entertainment
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