MARIO LANZA Vol.2

120668bk Lanza 2 23/1/03 5:39 pm Page 2 1. O Sole mio 4:20 9. E lucevan le stelle from Tosca 3:05 17. For You Alone 2:39 21. My Song, My Love 3:27 (di Capua) (Puccini) ( Henry Geehl–P.J. O’Reilly) in English (Beelby–Gerda) in English RCA Victor 12-1106, mx D9RC-1281 RCA Victor 12-3204, mx E0RC-3646 RCA Victor 10-3207, mx E1RB-1167 RCA Victor 10-3208, mx E0RB-3770 Recorded 28 October 1949, New York Recorded 18 May 1950, Hollywood Recorded 19 February 1951, New York Recorded 26 August 1950, Hollywood 2. Mattinata 3:45 10. Una furtiva lagrima from L’Elisir 18. Addio alla madre from Cavalleria 22. Serenade 3:29 (Leoncavallo) d’amore 4:11 Rusticana 3:30 (Enrico Toselli–Alfredo Silvestri) RCA Victor 12-1106, mx D9RC-1259 (Donizetti) (Mascagni) RCA Victor 10-3155, mx E0RC-365 Recorded 23 August 1949, New York RCA Victor 12-3203, mx E0RC-351 RCA Victor 12-3209, mx E0RC-358 Recorded 6 June 1950, Hollywood Recorded 18 May 1950, Hollywood Recorded 29 May 1950, Hollywood 3. Granada 3:55 23. Serenade 3:04 (Agustin de Lara) in Spanish 11. Cielo e mar from La Gioconda 4:00 19. O tu che in seno agli angeli from (Riccardo Drigo–Cesare Sturani) RCA Victor 12-1192, mx D9RC-1284 (Ponchielli) La forza del destino 4:48 RCA Victor 10-3155, mx E0RC-365 Recorded 28 October 1949, New York RCA Victor 12-3202, mx E0RC-361 (Verdi) Recorded 6 June 1950, Hollywood Recorded 29 May 1950, Hollywood RCA Victor 12-3209, mx E0RC-363 4. Lolita 3:38 Recorded 6 June 1950, Hollywood Conducted by Constantine Callinicos, except (Buzzi-Peccia) in Spanish 12. Vesti la giubba from Pagliacci 3:36 tracks 1–4 & 20–21 conducted by Ray Sinatra RCA Victor 12-1192, mx D9RC-1283 (Leoncavallo) 20. I Love Thee 2:29 Sung in Italian except as noted Recorded 28 October 1949, New York RCA Victor 12-3201, mx E0RC-352 (Grieg) in English Recorded 15 May 1950, Hollywood RCA Victor 10-3208, mx E0RB-3772 (Tracks 5–16 from The Great Caruso) Recorded 26 August 1950, Hollywood 13. Marechiare 2:32 5. Questa o quella from Rigoletto 1:47 (Tosti–Di Giacamo) (Verdi) RCA Victor 10-3435, mx E1RB-1187 RCA Victor 12-3201, mx E0RC-1866 Recorded 23 February 1951, New York Also available in the Naxos Nostalgia series ... Recorded 15 May 1950, Hollywood 14. ’A Vucchella 2:49 6. La donna è mobile from Rigoletto 2:04 (Tosti–G. d’Annunzio) (Verdi) RCA Victor 10-3435, mx E1RB-1186 RCA Victor 12-3202, mx E0RC-1867 Recorded 23 February 1951, New York Recorded 15 May 1950, Hollywood 15. Because 2:08 7. Parmi veder le lagrime from (Guy d’Hardelot–Edward Teschemacher) Rigoletto 4:39 in English (Verdi) RCA Victor 10-3207, mx E1RB-1168 RCA Victor 12-3203, mx E0RC-360 Recorded 19 February 1951, New York Recorded 29 May 1950, Hollywood 16. The Loveliest Night Of The Year 3:34 8. Recondita armonia from Tosca 2:41 (Irving Aaronson–Paul Francis Webster) (Puccini) in English RCA Victor 12-3204, mx E0RC-3645 RCA Victor 10-3300, mx E1RB-1167 8.120547* 8.120555 8.120591* Recorded 18 May 1950, Hollywood Recorded 23 February 1951, New York * Not Available in the U.S. 5 8.120668 6 8.120668 120668bk Lanza 2 23/1/03 5:39 pm Page 1 In 1942, Mario auditioned for Sergei through whose influence he was invited to Victor). Produced by Joseph Pasternak, that By 1951 it was also his first million-selling MARIO LANZA Vol.2 Koussevitsky during a Boston Symphony sing in the Verdi Requiem with the NBC first film – a 98-minute musical called That disc, eventually selling in excess of two Original 1949–1951 Recordings Orchestra tour of Philadelphia – a lucky Symphony Orchestra, under Toscanini, an Midnight Kiss (in which an unknown singer million copies world-wide, making Mario a encounter which provided the youthful tenor opportunity he forewent owing to lack of self- predictably becomes an international singing household name and recording superstar. star) was released in 1949, pairing Mario for During 1951, Lanza began weekly broadcasts The ‘modern’ tenor voice can be traced back Beniamino Gigli, were still remembered with with a scholarship to study at the New confidence. By 1947, however, that confidence the first time with the comely, North Carolina- of ‘The Mario Lanza Show’ (for CBS, sponsored to Enrico Caruso, or more accurately to many affection by film-goers. England Conservatory in Boston and, later, his and Lanza’s reputation were steadily growing born soprano Kathryn Grayson (b.1922). by Coca Cola) and made his third film- Caruso recordings that sold in millions stage debut (as Fenton in Nicolai’s Merry and in July, in company with soprano Frances The ‘meteoric…muscular’ Mario Lanza, whom musical, The Great Caruso: rated by most worldwide, simultaneously raising the status of wives Of Windsor) at the Berkshire Summer Yeend (b. 1918) and bass-baritone George Lanza’s second movie, The Toast Of New Toscanini, perhaps over-exuberantly, once critics his best effort, it was certainly the most Festival at Tanglewood, the Boston Orchestra’s London (1919-1985), he formed the Bel Canto Orleans (Pasternak, 1950), again quasi- the gramophone and creating the mythical commercially successful and remains to this dubbed ‘the greatest voice of the twentieth summer headquarters. Signed for a concert Trio, which during the next year gave 84 autobiographical insofar as it cast Lanza as a cult of the tenor as a sort of demigod which day highest in the affection of Lanza’s many century’, was born Alfred Arnoldo Cocozza tour by Columbia, Mario’s career was concerts in the USA, Canada, Newfoundland Bayou bumpkin who rises to stardom of the persists to this day. Not that Caruso’s voice fans. Its release was followed by a coast-to- into an immigrant Italian family in Philadelphia temporarily interrupted by two years’ war and Mexico. New Orleans Opera, netted him a fee of was that easily imitated (a one-off, darkly coast ‘Caruso Concert Tour’ during which on 31 January 1921. Resident in America from service in the United States Air Force. Based at $25,000. Its score also brought the added dramatic and of baritonal and pharyngeal On 28 August 1947 the end of their U.S. tour ‘Lanza fever’ swept the USA, while the LP of the age of sixteen his father Antonio was a Marfa,Texas, after auditioning successfully for cachet of an Academy Award-winning song, quality it broke the mould of his predecessors) was marked with a gala at the Hollywood its soundtrack sold over a million copies disabled World War I veteran while his Peter Lind Hayes, however, Mario was in “Be My Love”, by Sammy Cahn (1913-1993) and comparisons with this illustrious Bowl, with symphony orchestra under Eugene worldwide, thus becoming the first ‘operatic’ seamstress mother, Maria Lanza was, demand at forces’ shows and, after touring and Nicholas Brodszky (1905-1958), which Neapolitan were usually wishful thinking, Ormandy. At this concert Lanza was heard by long-player to attain Gold Disc status. fortuitously for Mario, a frustrated soprano. military bases in Frank Loesser’s On The became a 1950 US charts No.1 (featured in albeit they provided good box-office copy and, Louis B. Mayer who, before long, would be Nurtured on records of Caruso, Gigli and other Beam, following demobilisation in 1945 he Mario Lanza Vol.1, Naxos Nostalgia 8.120547). Peter Dempsey, 2003 in the case of Mario Lanza, a convenient signing the tenor to a seven-year MGM great tenors the young Mario shared his joined the chorus-line of the Broadway musical banner upon which to hoist a new name. contract. Meanwhile, however, two less-than- family’s broad musical tastes while his own, Winged Victory – a fund-raising flag-waver However, in addition to an outstandingly convincing appearances in opera (as Pinkerton not inconsiderable talent for singing was scored by David Rose and devised by Moss beautiful lyric voice (and in his best years an in Madama Butterfly during the 1948 New actively encouraged. At school distinctly non- Hart, presented by an all military cast of US often impressively vital delivery), Lanza did Orleans Opera season) helped to convince academic and inclined more to sport than to Army-Air Force personnel. display an instinctive flair for phrasing, study (he dropped out of high school to work Lanza that a greater future awaited him in the exceptional lung capacity, remarkable breath- in his grandfather’s wholesale grocery In mid-1945, through the good offices of his less gruelling spheres of concert, radio and control and, by and large, tasteful delivery. business), he remained nonetheless an avid baritone friend Robert Weede, Mario stood in screen. His MGM contract consolidated that Additionally (some might say sadly) Mario was student of singing in his spare time, even for tenor Jan Peerce on ABC’s ‘Celanese Hour’ conviction with unexpected financial security: born with a certain charismatic Mediterranean while working subsequently as a piano and between October and February 1946 $750 per week for the six months spent fire ready-made for exploitation by the remover. During his late teens he trained for appeared in six ‘Great Moments In Music’ preparing his first movie, plus a $10,000 Transfers & Production: David Lennick marketing mechanisms of Hollywood – about eighteen months with the baritone concerts in New York. During 1946 he toured bonus, $15,000 on completion of the film itself Digital Noise Reduction: Graham Newton although even in this department he set no Antonio Scarduzzo and was coached by the Canada in concert with soprano Agnes Davis and freedom meanwhile to give concerts, Original recordings from the collections of John Rutherford & David Lennick real precedent, for in 1950 James Melton and Phildelphia-born soprano Irene Williams (1887- and embarked on further vocal training with radio appearances and make recordings (under Special Thanks to Vince Giordano Nino Martini, not to mention Kiepura and 1979) who had connections in society circles.

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