Christmas with Mario Lanza

Mario Lanza (Artist), Felix Mendelssohn (Composer), George Frideric Handel (Composer), Richard Storrs Willis (Composer), Charles Gounod (Composer), Adolphe Adam (Composer), Max Reger (Composer), Alessandro Stradella (Composer), John Francis Wade (Composer), William James Kirkpatrick (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Composer: Felix Mendelssohn, George Frideric Handel, Richard Storrs Willis, Charles Gounod, Adolphe Adam, et al.
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA Gold Seal
• ASIN: B000003EP6
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,663 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #7 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Modern, 20th, & 21st Century > Composers > Reger, Max
  • #23 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Featured Performers, A-Z > H to L
  • #76 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Hymns

Editorial Reviews

Mario Lanzais an American / Italian tenor singer who rose to fame in the forties & fifties. Considered by many as the greatest voice of the twentieth century --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you love Christmas music, and love Mario Lanza- get this!, August 19, 2002

By 

Rachel Howard (ocklawaha, Florida United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Christmas with Mario Lanza (Audio CD)

Mario Lanza has been gone for many years, but his heart and soul and magnificent voice makes him live in our hearts. This review is for those who have not heard the man, or may not have heard him in this kind of genre. Mario Lanza's voice was an intense lyric tenor, with strong baritonal colorings in the middle to lower part of his range. It was an often sweet sound, coupled with a clear diction that should be a model for any singer in any genre.

Lanza seems to me to have had a deep and abiding affection for God, though I would scarcely think of him as a goody-two-shoes. He had the robust appetites of the common man and displayed them proudly- yet- listen to any of these selections and tell me he didn't believe in God. Hark, the Herald Angels Sing jumps out at the listener, as Lanza wraps his wonderful voice around the words and the very meaning of the words. He was capable of surpassing tenderness as well. There's a song here by Max Reger (I think!), The Virgin's Slumber Song, which is sung in an exquisite half voice. The sounds Lanza produces here are amazingly tender, bell-clear, sweet, and full of love. This song alone is worth the price of the album, but it is hardly the only one. Harpo Marx's Guardian Angels will touch your heart deeply. The descriptions here of a child's heavenly visions are enraptured, full of power, yet tender and yearning for the beauty that is, for the moment, out of reach.

The sound preserved here is far better than the old LP that I owned and listened to for decades. It is free of the distortions that record was prone to. Lanza's voice is clear, clean, and distortion free. He was in fine voice for these sessions, and, for me, this preserves Lanza's best work. May God bless this mighty tenor, wherever he is.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My all time favorite XMas CD, December 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Christmas with Mario Lanza (Audio CD)

Christmas with Mario Lanza has been my favorite Christmas CD for over ten years. I am quite a fan of Christmas music and have been exposed to alot of it thanks to working three Christmas seasons in a retail music store. Mario Lanza's CD still gets more playing time around the season than any other I own. A combination of truly great songs and that magnificent voice is unbeatable. His version of O Holy Night is the greatest I have ever heard.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Christmas Classic, December 11, 2000

By 

Steven K. Szmutko (EWING, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Christmas with Mario Lanza (Audio CD)

This CD is a wonderful restoration of a timeless classic for anyone who loves Christmas music. Mario Lanza's magnificent voice complements perfectly the inspiring musical arrangements for listeners of all ages.

Listening to this album brings back memories of childhood when a well-worn record was dutifully and lovingly played on Christmas mornings. One of my favorite selections is "Guardian Angels," a beautiful and haunting song composed by Harpo Marx. "O Holy Night" is a masterpiece and "Silent Night," "The Lord's Prayer" and "Ave Maria" are powerful. Each hymn is impeccably done; Mr. Lanza was truly an artist.