Customer Reviews

Mario Lanza: Don't Forget Me

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Barbara Eisner Bayer's review is pretentious nonsense. "No middle" for these songs & arias? Mario had a seamless transition from bottom to middle to top register, shown off to great advantage in these selections. Ms Bayer should have her hearing checked for mid-range frequencies. Lanza's performance of Addio Alla Madre on this CD is second to none.One could almost say the same for his 'Forza' recording. And was there ever singing more lush than Mario's Your Eyes Have Told Me So or Some Day I'll Find You? A problem with "descending" Ms Bayer? Listen to the conclusion to the latter, where Mario both descends & ascends with a facility & passion that reveal the moderns - the Three Tenors included - for the dead boring poseurs that they are. Thank goodness Mario Lanza is enjoying the renaissance that he is, so that we may be reminded of what glorious singing is really about, & once was.

The lady is right you will need a cordiologist, but not for the reasons she says. This is Mario Lanza in top flight, every track is a gem. Included on this Cd is a selection from the full Lanza repertoire, opera, operetta, musical comedy and popular songs of the day all sung to perfection as only Mario could sing them. For anyone who is a Lanza fan or for anyone who has only just heard of the Mario Lanza name, this is the Cd for you, but beware once you listen to this you will want them all.

Lyndsay Perigo is spot on. This is the finest compact disc of Lanza's to date. The finest sound quality yet and boy what singing. Try if you dare, not to find "You Are Love" spine tingling and what about the sheer sensational neapolitan beauties. Let's not forget the wonderful arias on the albumn. Lanza had no vocal equal and probably never will. Listen to the disc, just once maybe and you will feel the same as many other fans of the greatest tenor voice EVER.

My initial impression on hearing this CD was: fabulous voice; rough performances. That view is essentially unchanged. Lanza fans will adore the heroic singing and sheer bravado of these performances; purists will no doubt find much to criticize in Lanza's unrestrained delivery. In a sense, both sides are right, but there can be no mistaking that this is one of the most exceptional tenor voices on record. The upper register is dazzling and the middle and low registers are rich and satisfying. Lanza's breath control is second to none, and the evenness between his registers shows a technical expertise that is quite astonishing. If that wasn't enough, the singer's way with a song is unique - not a word is neglected as Lanza imparts each number with his trademark commitment and freshness. This is a voice to treasure.

Now the criticism: all of the performances contained here come from Lanza's wildly erratic Coca-Cola Radio Show of 1951-52. To be sure, these weekly performances yielded some amazing results, but sadly only a handful of these are to be found on this disk. (For a much more consistent "Coke" CD, check out the excellent When Day is Done.) The real reason for the inconsistency in performance was lack of time, and often Lanza was not sufficiently familiar with the material. The arrangements certainly didn't help, with the emphasis on big endings and impossibly high keys. Having said that, I doubt that any other tenor in similar circumstances could have produced as many dazzling performances as Lanza achieved.

Duds first: Diane is a dreadful rendition, and let's hope it never resurfaces on any other compendiums. The Neapolitan songs are rough - very rough in the case of Santa Lucia Luntana and Canta Pe Me - and vastly superior performances (and arrangements) of these and others can be found on Lanza's magnificent Mario! Lanza At His Best CD. O Paradiso is a decidedly inferior effort (especially compared to the tenor's rendition in the 1955 movie Serenade) and suffers from appalling orchestral accompaniment. The two songs from The Student Prince (Serenade and Deep in My Heart) suffer badly in comparison with Lanza's magnificent soundtrack, recorded the same year. Here both performances are rushed and unpolished, with a totally unneccesary "scream" on the word "dream" at the conclusion of Deep in My Heart. You'll Never Walk Alone is a ho-hum effort, and there is a far better take of this number to be found on the CD of the same title.

For my money, the CD's strengths are the magnificent Addio Alla Madre (a performance that rivals Lanza's celebrated 1950 recording and has an on-key ending this time!); a sensitive rendition of O Tu Che In Seno Agli Angeli (surely one of the most difficult arias in the repertoire); the beautifully realized Your Eyes Have Told Me So; a cheeky and exciting La Danza; and a far more delicate reading of Parmi Veder Le Lagrime than his 1950 commercial rendition.

The sound is extremely bright (sometimes excessively so) at the expense of Lanza's mellow timbre, but there is a real sense of presence throughout. As one Lanza admirer remarked on first hearing this disk: "This is a fantasy voice." And indeed it is. Buy this disk for its highlights and revel in the tenor's exuberant genius.

This CD has 24 tracks all taken from his weekly radio broadcasts,called the Coke Show,as that beverage sponsored it.Mario sings as only he could,but sometimes he may be considered slightly OTT,others might say enthusiastic.Lack of time also meant he was unable to rehearse enough,so some songs are not sung as well as his best offerings of the same track,however many tracks are very good.

Recording quality is very clean and clear thanks to it being digtally remastered,especially as the tracks are so old,all from 1951/52,however I found them a little too much on the bright side.I tried listening to this CD again,but from a greater distance,about 20 feet from the speakers,it does for its age give a very realistic sound image of Mario singing and the violins in particular have a superb sound,full of detail and harmonics,his voice is free of distortion too.

Try and find an mp3 sound sample to listen to and make up your own mind.I do own this CD and despite some of my comments,can still strongly recommend it,CB

Mario Lanza brought a great passion to his singing. He was always full throttle, much like the great American baritone Lawrence Tibbett. If you listen to the tenors of the last 50 years, only Bjorling compares, although Lanza was unique. In this time period Lanza had a beautiful mezza voce. Enjoy this fine collection of songs.