Mario! Lanza at His Best
Encyclopedia
Mario! Lanza At His Best is a CD released by BMG
in 1995, and consists of two original albums recorded by tenor Mario Lanza
. These are: the Neapolitan songs album Mario!, recorded in December 1958, and The Vagabond King
, recorded in July 1959. The Mario! album has been singled out for special praise, with its star conductor Franco Ferrara
of Rome's Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
later hailing Lanza's singing on the disc as "vocally extraordinary...a Caruso-type voice." Lanza's first studio album in stereo, the Mario! selections include the Neapolitan songs Voce 'e Notte, Canta Pe' Me, 'Na Sera 'e Maggio, and Passione. The arrangements were created by Carlo Savina
and Ennio Morricone
.
The Vagabond King, an operetta by Rudolf Friml, was recorded three months before Mario Lanza's death in October 1959. The selections include Love Me Tonight, Nocturne, Only a Rose, and the Drinking Song. Lanza is accompanied on several songs by the soprano Judith Raskin, who recorded her contributions a year later in New York. The conductor was Constantine Callinicos.
Note: In February 2006, this album was reissued by BMG/Sony in the sonically superior SACD format. This new CD can be played on both SACD players and conventional CD players.
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
in 1995, and consists of two original albums recorded by tenor Mario Lanza
Mario Lanza
right|thumb|[[MGM]] still, circa 1949Mario Lanza was an American tenor and Hollywood movie star of the late 1940s and the 1950s. The son of Italian emigrants, he began studying to be a professional singer at the age of 16....
. These are: the Neapolitan songs album Mario!, recorded in December 1958, and The Vagabond King
The Vagabond King
The Vagabond King is a 1925 operetta by Rudolf Friml in four acts, with a book and lyrics by Brian Hooker and William H. Post, based upon Justin Huntly McCarthy's 1901 romantic play If I Were King...
, recorded in July 1959. The Mario! album has been singled out for special praise, with its star conductor Franco Ferrara
Franco Ferrara
Franco Ferrara was an Italian conductor.After obtaining diplomas in piano, violin, organ and musical composition at the Conservatory of Bologna, Ferrara began his career as violin player in Bologna, in Rome and in Florence, with the Orchestra of Maggio Musicale Fiorentino...
of Rome's Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, based in Italy.It is based at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, and was founded by the papal bull, Ratione congruit, issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two saints prominent in Western...
later hailing Lanza's singing on the disc as "vocally extraordinary...a Caruso-type voice." Lanza's first studio album in stereo, the Mario! selections include the Neapolitan songs Voce 'e Notte, Canta Pe' Me, 'Na Sera 'e Maggio, and Passione. The arrangements were created by Carlo Savina
Carlo Savina
Carlo Savina was an Italian composer and conductor who composed, arranged, and conducted music for films-and is especially remembered for being the music director of films such as The Godfather , Amarcord , and The Bear .Savina worked with many of the notable film score composers of the 20th...
and Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
.
The Vagabond King, an operetta by Rudolf Friml, was recorded three months before Mario Lanza's death in October 1959. The selections include Love Me Tonight, Nocturne, Only a Rose, and the Drinking Song. Lanza is accompanied on several songs by the soprano Judith Raskin, who recorded her contributions a year later in New York. The conductor was Constantine Callinicos.
Note: In February 2006, this album was reissued by BMG/Sony in the sonically superior SACD format. This new CD can be played on both SACD players and conventional CD players.
External links
- http://freeradical.co.nz/lanza/TheFinalYears.php Mario Lanza: The Final Years, by Derek McGovern