Mario Lanza Live At The Hollywood Bowl: Historical Recordings (1947 & 1951)
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CD Details
Composer: Gaetano DonizettiComposer: Umberto Giordano
Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Conductor: Eugene Ormandy
Orchestra: The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
Orchestra: The Ray Sinatra Orchestra
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2000-06-06
Music Label: Gala
Soundtracks:
- L'Elisir DAmore: Una Furtiva Lagrima
- Andrea Chenier: Un Di All'Azzurro Spazio
- TOSCA: E Lucevan Le Stelle
- La Traviata: Parigi, O Cara
- Madama Butterfly: Vogliatemi Bene, Un Bene Piccolino
- La Boheme: O Soave Fanciulla
- Funiculi Funicula
- My Song My Love
- Diane
- Thine Alone
- A Vuchella
- Toselli's Serenade
- Because You're Mine
- The Loveliest Night Of The Year
- O Paradiso
- The Rosary
- If
- They Didn't Believe Me
- The Lords Prayer
- Be My Love
Music reviews of Mario Lanza Live At The Hollywood Bowl: Historical Recordings (1947 & 1951)
Music Review: One of the great performances of all time
Rating: 5 Stars
The first six tracks of this CD capture Mario Lanza's legendary 1947 Hollywood Bowl debut. These recordings, by themselves, would rate 7 stars in my book. (The rest of the CD would probably merit about 2 stars, but those live tracks are worth the ridiculously low price of this collection many times over.) Renowned baritone George London, Lanza's frequent singing partner, later said he never heard Mario sing better than he did that night, and it would be hard to disagree with him. Lanza, on the eve of signing his contract with MGM, was at the peak of his vocal discipline, fresh off 15 months of training with Enrico Rosati. And while his interpretive abilities may have not reached their full potential, then or ever, the voice itself was magnificent: brilliant, rich and indescribably glorious. The concert opens with "Una furtiva lagrima," by Donizetti, which, if somewhat raw, is certainly more refined and lyrical than his later studio recording. His phrasing of "Cielo, si puo morir" can bring tears to my eyes. Next up is a thrilling rendition of "Un di all'azzuro spazio" from ANDREA CHENIER. Lanza's performance of this aria is as good as any I've ever heard, including Caruso's. He positively caresses the phrase "Su dalla terra a la mia fronte veniva una ca'rezza viva," then passionately spits out the aria's middle section: "un uom vi calunniave bestemmiando il suolo che l'erario a pena sazia e contro a Dio scagliava, e contro a li uomini le lagrime dei figli!" Lanza's vocal tone, in this performance, was more focused than it was in his later recording of this aria, and his later recordings in general, and the effect is very impressive to those who have only heard his studio recordings. Then, for an encore, he sings "E lucevan le stelle," from TOSCA by Puccini, another aria which, in my opinion, Lanza sang as well if not better than anyone. True, he does not sing the pianissimo like Gigli or Di Stefano, but then neither did Caruso or Domingo. In fact, to my way of thinking Lanza's interpretation is more in character with a man who is about to die: it is not a simple love song but a cry of desperation. Next come three gorgeous duets with Frances Yeend, a singer with limited interpretive abilities but a rich, full voice. On the duet from LA TRAVIATA, Lanza showcases a wonderful legato line, and the timing of the two singers is nearly perfect. By this time in the concert, Lanza's voice had reached its peak of richness and beauty. The love duet from MADAME BUTTERFLY that follows is a positive tour de force: I have never heard a more exciting and musical performance: neither singer allows interpretation to get in the way of the melody, which is always a good idea with Puccini. Lanza is at his most passionate here, and his high C at the end is devastating. Yeend would later say that Lanza's singing was "Always thrilling. . .he never spared the horses," and this duet is a good example. Finally, a tasteful and lovely rendition of the duet from LA BOHEME closes out the show, with the richness of each singer's voice on full display. Lanza sings the line "Dammi il braccio mia piccina" as romantically as anyone, and the interplay between the two singers is nearly perfect. This is a performance for the ages: anyone who loves Italian opera and especially great tenor singing should love this album. The rest of the album is pretty much a waste, except for an interesting version of "A Vuchella" in which Lanza does his best Gigli impression. Notably, this album contains possibly the worst version of any song I have ever heard: an English language rendition of "Funiculi funicula" that is positively dreadful, although you can't really blame that on Lanza's singing.
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