I'm delighted to report that London-based Sepia Records will soon be releasing another Mario Lanza CD compilation: its sixth (!) in three years. 

Titled Poetry and Passion, this CD differs from the previous five Sepia compilations in that it doesn't focus on one particular musical genre. Instead, it offers examples of Lanza in top form in every genre in which he excelled: opera, operetta, musical theatre, Neapolitan song, and popular song. An eclectic compilation, to be sure, but one that's full of surprises and consistently rewarding, delivering exactly what its title promises.

As with the previous five Sepia releases, the CD was compiled (for love, not money) by Armando Cesari, Vince Di Placido, Carmel Parisi, Lee Ann Cafferata and yours truly, and expertly remastered by Robin Cherry. Indeed, many of the recordings have never sounded better, despite being sourced from an assortment of vinyl, private tapes and acetates. The same care has gone into the CD booklet, which is beautifully presented with copious notes and several rare photos. 
​
Poetry and Passion is now available directly (and economically for those outside of the UK) from Sepia Records, and will be released by Amazon and other online sellers on February 9, 2018. 

UPDATE (5 Feb 2018): Lindsay Perigo has posted this glowing review of the CD on his web site.

MARIO LANZA: POETRY AND PASSION
1   Earthbound (Taylor-Richardson-Musel) Recorded 10 August 1956
2   Wonder Why (Brodszky-Cahn) 21 August 1951
3   The Bayou Lullaby (Brodszky-Cahn) 29 June 1950
4   Beautiful Love (King-Young-Van Alstyne-Gillespie) 24 April 1952
5   Tell Me Tonight (Spoliansky-Eyton) 15 February 1952
6   The Rosary (Nevin-Rogers) 23 August 1951
7   The Song Angels Sing (Aaronson-Webster, adapted from Brahms) 24 July 1952
8   The Thrill Is Gone (Henderson-Brown) 29 November 1951
9   My Destiny (Brodszky-Cahn) 21 July 1955    [Introduced by Lanza]
10  Younger Than Springtime (Rodgers-Hammerstein) 7 November 1957
11  Thoughts Will Come Back to Me (Romberg-Donnelly) April 1959
12  Nocturne (Friml-Hooker-Post) July 1959
13  Lygia (Rózsa-Webster) 16 December 1951
14  Come Prima (For the First Time) (Di Paola-Taccani-Ram) September 1958
15  ¡Ay, ay, ay! (Freire) 3 December 1951 
16  Maria Marí’ (Di Capua-Russo) December 1958 
17  Ave Maria (Schubert) 18 August 1955    [film outtake with piano]
18  L’Arlesiana: È la solita storia (Cilea-Marenco) 16 Jan. 1958  [live: Royal Albert Hall]
19  Otello: Niun mi tema (Verdi-Boito) September 1958
BONUS TRACKS
20  Pagliacci: Un tal gioco (Leoncavallo) May 1952  [private recording]
21  Andrea Chénier: Un dì all’azzurro spazio (Giordano-Illica) April 1952  [private recording]
22  I’m Falling in Love with Someone (Herbert-Young) 18 January 1958 [live performance: British TV]
23  Only a Rose (Friml-Hooker-Post) July 1959  ["Raw" acetate: a revelation!]

The ad, which is titled See you in the Future, is a romantic piece of time travel whimsy, in which Brody's character emerges from his 1959 apartment in Milan to find himself in a present-day version of the city, where he is soon smitten with a young woman, played by Italian actress Anna Manuelli.

There are currently three versions of the ad, ranging in length from 2 minutes and 20 seconds to more than 4 and a half minutes. The ad is being screened not only on TV in a two-and-a-half-minute version, but also on the internet, in cinemas, and in public places and on public transportation in France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Austria, Portugal and Poland. In short, its potential audience is massive. 
​
Lanza's only surviving child, Ellisa Lanza Bregman, gave her permission for her father's recording to be used in the ad.

Update (9 July 2017): My friend Stefanie Walzinger of Germany has just alerted me to a completely different 30-second ad, in which the characters played by Brody and Manuelli attend a screening of For the First Time together. This latest ad cannot be viewed outside of Europe, unfortunately (though it's worth keeping an eye out for on YouTube).  

The material for this CD was chosen by Armando Cesari, Vincent Di Placido, Carmel Parisi, Lee Ann Cafferata and yours truly. As with the previous Sepia CDs we have worked on (Greatest Operatic Recordings, Vol. 1 and 2, My Italian Soul, and Never Till Now), none of us has any financial involvement in this project; it was strictly a labour of love.

One Alone will be available from all the usual online outlets on 10 February 2017.

UPDATE (10 January 2017): One Alone is available now from Sepia Records for between £7.99 and £8.99 (postage included) for PayPal users. For those wishing to purchase the CD from other online sellers, such as Amazon, the release date is still 10 February.


MARIO LANZA: ONE ALONE
1   They Didn’t Believe Me (Kern-Reynolds) Recorded (day/month/year) 23/8/49                  
2   The World Is Mine Tonight (Posford-Marvell) 10/7/51                                            
3   Wanting You (Romberg-Hammerstein-Mandel-Schwab) 20/7/51                                            
4   I’ve Got You Under My Skin (Porter) 24/7/51 [with previously unreleased spoken introduction]
5   Night and Day (Porter) 14/8/51 [with previously unreleased spoken introduction]
6   Roses of Picardy (Wood-Weatherley) 29/11/51
7   One Night of Love (Schertzinger-Kahn) 5/12/51                                                   
8   Your Eyes Have Told Me So (Blaufuss-Kahn-Van Alstyn) Early December 1951
9   Sylvia (Speaks-Scollard) Early December 1951                                                              
10 I’ll See You Again (Coward) 29/1/52                                                   
11 Romance (Leslie-Donaldson) 1/2/52 [with spoken introduction]
12 The Trembling of a Leaf (Green-Lawrence) 4/3/52                                              
13 Yesterdays (Kern-Harbach) 6/3/52                                                           
14 The Moon Was Yellow (Ahlert-Leslie) 20/3/52 [with previously unreleased spoken introduction]
15 Golden Days (Romberg-Donnelly) 31/7/52                                                        
16 Will You Remember? (Romberg-Young) 27/8/56
17 Behold! (Moore-Reed) 15/4/57                                                             
18 Arrivederci Roma (Rascel-Sigman) 7/11/57 [English-language version]
19 I Love Thee (Grieg) September 1958
20 One Alone (Romberg-Harbach-Hammerstein-Mandel) September 1959  [remastered "raw" acetate]
BONUS TRACKS
21 The Lord’s Prayer (Malotte) Performed live on 19/12/48 (NBC radio broadcast)
22 Tell Me, Oh Blue, Blue Sky (Giannini-Flaster) Recorded sometime in 1952  [private home recording]
23 Love Me Tonight (Friml-Hooker) July 1959                                                       
24 Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life (Herbert-Young) 27/7/51 ​[with spoken introduction]

Derek Mannering, author of Mario Lanza: Singing to the Gods, has announced that a new Lanza documentary will be released on DVD in the UK in March 2017. The 82-minute documentary, Mario Lanza: The Best of Everything, has been written, produced and directed by Alan Byron of Screenbound Entertainment, a group specializing in bios of various musical personalities. 

Derek Mannering, who was closely involved with the production, has provided this link to the impressive-looking teaser trailer.

Great to see that leading tenor Joseph Calleja is featured in this documentary. 

UPDATE (31 January 2017): Derek Mannering has further announced that a 2-CD set of songs and arias, also entitled Mario Lanza: The Best of Everything, will be released by Sony in conjunction with the DVD in March.

Here are the track details:

MARIO LANZA: THE BEST OF EVERYTHING
DISC 1

1. BE MY LOVE (RCA)
2. LA BOHÈME: CHE GELIDA MANINA (RCA)
3. SOME DAY (from THE VAGABOND KING) (Coke Show)
4. BESAME MUCHO (Coke Show) ­ INTRODUCED BY LANZA
5. GUARDIAN ANGELS (Coke Show)
6. RIGOLETTO: QUESTA O QUELLA (RCA)
7. SONG OF INDIA (RCA)
8. DANNY BOY (Coke Show) ­ INTRODUCED BY LANZA
9. DRINK, DRINK, DRINK (from THE STUDENT PRINCE) (MGM)
10. YOU AND THE NIGHT AND THE MUSIC (Coke Show)
11. CARMEN: FLOWER SONG (RCA ­ take 2)
12. MY ROMANCE (Coke Show)
13. MATTINATA (RCA)
14. NIGHT AND DAY (Coke Show)
15. SERENADE (from THE STUDENT PRINCE) (MGM)
16. BECAUSE (RCA)
17. ’A VUCCHELLA (RCA)
18. TOSCA: RECONDITA ARMONIA (RCA)
19. WITHOUT A SONG (Coke Show)
20. I’LL WALK WITH GOD (from the film THE STUDENT PRINCE) (MGM)

BONUS TRACKS:

1. IF YOU WERE MINE (RCA) ­ PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ALTERNATE TAKE
2. THE LOVELIEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR (RCA Rome) ­ FIRST TIME ON CD

DISC 2

1. BECAUSE YOU’RE MINE (RCA)
2. MARTHA: M’APPARI (RCA)
3. BELOVED (from the film THE STUDENT PRINCE) (MGM)
4. NONE BUT THE LONELY HEART (Coke Show)
5. FEDORA: AMOR TI VIETA (“Serenade” soundtrack)
6. GRANADA (RCA)
7. THINE ALONE (Coke Show) ­ INTRODUCED BY LANZA
8. GOLDEN DAYS (from THE STUDENT PRINCE) (MGM)
9. AIDA: CELESTE AIDA (RCA)
10. ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE (“Cavalcade of Show Tunes”)
11. RIGOLETTO: LA DONNA E MOBILE (RCA)
12. ARRIVEDERCI ROMA (RCA Rome ­ English version)
13. I PAGLIACCI: VESTI LA GIUBBA (“For the First Time”)
14. AVE MARIA (Schubert ­ “For the First Time”)
15. PASSIONE (RCA Rome)
16. ONE ALONE (from THE DESERT SONG) (RCA Rome ­ as recorded, no chorus)
17. TURANDOT: NESSUN DORMA (“Serenade” alternate take) ­ PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
18. SIGN OFF from MARIO LANZA (“May I wish you the very best of everything in life always…”) ­ PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

BONUS TRACKS:
HISTORICAL RECORDINGS FROM “THE MARIO LANZA SHOW”
1. BE MY LOVE ­ PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
2. THE LORD’S PRAYER ­ PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
3. Drigo SERENADE ­ PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
4. SILENT NIGHT ­ PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

This is easily the best compilation that Derek Mannering has produced to date, and it's pleasing to see a sampling of highlights from Lanza's entire recording career this time.

More information about both the CD release and the DVD is available here.

The CD set is available from UK Amazon for pre-ordering now. 

​Lanza aficionado and broadcaster Lindsay Perigo has done his idol proud with his much-revised third edition of The One Tenor: A Salute to Mario Lanza, an unashamedly eclectic collection of essays, reviews, interviews, and even a sonnet. This is the first time the book has appeared in paperback form, and it’s been given a major makeover, with some eye-poppingly vivid colour photographs and an astute selection of striking black and white pics. 

​More importantly, its written content---most of it penned by the inimitable Linz himself---has been radically restructured, with the essays and articles now logically organized into four broad categories: Lanza the person and artist (“A Sense of Life”); reviews of selected recordings (“My God, Could That Man Sing”), reminiscences from colleagues and assorted tributes (“Fans, Friends, Family and Fellow-Artists”), and an extended interview with biographer Roland Bessette (“Controversy”). As I note in my preface to The One Tenor, the Bessette section is worth the price of the book alone, with Linz (an interviewer without peer in his native New Zealand) probing the lawyer-author at length regarding his contentious theory that Lanza suffered from undiagnosed Bipolar Disorder, and then responding good-humoredly with his own (eminently plausible) theory as to why the great tenor’s career was so erratic.
 
The book also boasts a magnificent new foreword from leading contemporary tenor Joseph Calleja, a dyed-in-the-wool Lanza enthusiast who, among other things, handily demolishes the myth that his idol’s voice was created in the recording studios. Other sterling additions include a postscript that includes an extraordinary 2015 assessment of Lanza by Sir Antonio Pappano, Music Director of the Royal Opera House; and (most gratifyingly to this writer!) up-to-the-minute reviews of all four Lanza CDs released by Sepia Records in 2015-2016. (Information about those CDs can be found at this site here, here, and here.)
 
Linz’s book is available now in both Kindle and paperback form, and in the few weeks since its publication late last month has already hit the #1 spot on Amazon’s “Hot new [book] releases” chart in opera. That’s great news for Linz—and great news for Lanza, whose rightful place among the operatic giants of the last century has never been more secure. As for the quality of the book itself, our own Dr. Lee Ann Cafferata (co-founder of this site) is right on the money when she observes that its "thoughtful, subjective, fast-paced and heartwarming [essays] . . . give us brilliance and calamity, sometimes on the same page."

Get yourself a copy today!

I am very happy to report that Sepia Records will soon be releasing yet another Mario Lanza compilation: Never Till Now, a collection of some of the man's finest recordings in English (ballads, operetta, love songs, etc). Armando Cesari, Vince Di Placido, Lee Ann Cafferata and yours truly were the compilers, and the material that we have chosen spans most of Lanza's commercial recording career: from 1950 to 1958.

While none of us has any financial interest in this CD, I think it's safe to say that we're all delighted to be associated with a compilation that not only represents Lanza at his best in this genre, but is stunning to look at as well. As I never tire of saying, Sepia is truly a class act.     

The sources for this CD were the best-available vinyl reproductions, reel-to-reel tapes (including the original Coke Show broadcasts of songs like "If," and in the case of the 1950 "Because," the aurally resplendent RAI programme La Mia Vita per il Canto from 1959), and some of Lanza's own tapes and acetates (courtesy of the late Colleen and late Damon Lanza), all lovingly remastered by Sepia's resident sound guru, Robin Cherry. 

More than anything else, though, it's the stunning consistency of the selections presented here that I think will bowl over listeners. There are no off-days in the studio to be heard here! In each instance where more than one Lanza version of a song exists, we've chosen what we consider the best rendition. Examples include the discarded MGM take of "All the Things You Are" (a mono reproduction, I should acknowledge, but one that compares not unfavourably sound-wise with the long-deleted Rhino stereo reproduction---its only previous outing on CD) and the glorious 1956 Cavalcade version of "Yours Is My Heart Alone," which I believe has never sounded better. The restored spoken intros to "The Night Is Young," "If I Loved You," and the Albert Hall "Because You're Mine" are also a delight to hear.     

UPDATE #1 (9 February 2016): The CD is available now directly from Sepia Records (it's listed there as a "forthcoming release," but it's actually already in stock), and will be released at propermusic.com, amazon.co.uk, and amazon.com on 4 March 2016. Sepia Records and ProperMusic are probably the cheapest options, especially for those outside of the UK.  

UPDATE #2 (23 February 2016) Lindsay Perigo has posted a rave review of the CD at his web site here. 

New Zealand broadcaster and Mario Lanza aficionado Lindsay Perigo has announced that he will be hosting a tribute tour to Lanza throughout New Zealand in October-November of 2016. 24 venues!!! It should be a riot.

Full details of the tour can be read here.

As host, the indefatigable and unrepentantly articulate Mr. P will no doubt be sharing numerous anecdotes and insights from his popular e-book The One Tenor: A Salute to Mario Lanza, as well as nuggets from his various in-depth interviews with Lanza associates, including this gem with soprano Licia Albanese:

I confidently expect Linz to let us know how the whole thing goes---and to share any additional tidbits on the tour in the meantime---so do keep an eye on the comments section below! 

I'm delighted to announce that, hot on the heels of its February 2015 release Mario Lanza: Greatest Operatic Recordings, the UK-based company Sepia Records has released two more outstanding Lanza CD compilations. They are: Greatest Operatic Recordings, Volume Two and My Italian Soul, a collection of Neapolitan and Italian songs.

Each disc has been compiled by Armando Cesari, Vincent Di Placido, Lee Ann Cafferata, and yours truly. (Please note, by the way, that none of us has any financial interest in these CDs.) Our goals were to compile the best of Lanza's remaining operatic recordings and create the definitive Lanza Neapolitan/Italian Song collection. Prepare to be impressed by the quality of these discs, each of which includes new-to-CD material and superb artwork. 

Vince and I supplied the recordings for the discs, drawing from the best-available vinyl, acetate and reel-to-reel sources. These were then remastered by Sepia's sound engineer, Robin Cherry. Some of the commercial recordings featured here, such as "Dicitencello Vuie" and "L'Alba Separa dalla Luce l'Ombra," actually sound better than ever before. There are also some beautifully restored rarities, including the thrilling Royal Variety Show performance of "E lucevan le stelle" and a recently discovered (alternate) 1945 test recording of "Mattinata." "Agnus Dei" has also never sounded better.  
 
The two CDs are available now for £9.39 each (including international postage) directly from Sepia Records' UK outlet, ProperMusic.com. And for those who prefer the more expensive Amazon option, the CDs are also available from all of its outlets.  

Mario Lanza: Greatest Operatic Recordings, Volume Two

Mario Lanza: My Italian Soul
1. Mamma Mia, Che Vò Sapé? (Mama, What Do You Want to Know?) (Nutile-Russo)
2.  Rimpianto (Regret) (Toselli’s Serenade) (Toselli-Silvestri)
3. ’A Vucchella (Little Mouth) (Tosti-D’Annunzio) 
4. Torna a Surriento (Come Back to Sorrento) (E. De Curtis-G. De Curtis)
5.  La Danza (The Dance) (Rossini-Pepoli) Introduced by Lanza
6.   ’O Sole Mio (My Sunshine) (Di Capua-Capurro)
7.   Tu Ca Nun Chiagne! (You Who Do Not Cry!) (De Curtis-Bovio)
8.   Santa Lucia Luntana (Santa Lucia Far Away) (Mario)
9.   Fenesta Che Lucive (The Window That Used to Shine) (G. Cottrau-Paolella)
10.  Dicitencello Vuie (You Tell Her) (Falvo-Fusco)
11. ’O Surdato ’Nnammurato (The Soldier in Love) (Cannio-Califano)
12.  Voce ’e Notte (Voice in the Night) (De Curtis-Nicolardi) With RCA Italiana chorus.
13.  Canta Pe’ Mme! (Sing for Me!) (De Curtis-Bovio)
14.  Comme Facette Mámmeta? (How Did Your Mother Make You?) (Gambardella-Capaldo)
15.  ’Na Sera ’e Maggio (One Evening in May) (Cioffi-Pisano)
16.  Passione (Passion) (Tagliaferri-Valente-Bovio) 
17.  Senza Nisciuno (Without Anyone) (De Curtis-Barbieri)
18.  Vaghissima Sembianza (Very Vague Semblance) (S. Donaudy-A. Donaudy)
19.  Serenata (Serenade) (Bracco-Caruso)
20.  Pour un Baiser (For a Kiss) (Tosti-Doncieux) Sung in French.
21.  Luna d’Estate (Summer Moon) (Tosti)
22.  L’Alba Separa dalla Luce l’Ombra (The Dawn Divides the Darkness from the Light) (Tosti-D’Annunzio)
23.  Ideale (Ideal) (Tosti-Errico)
BONUS TRACKS
24.  Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) (Bizet) Sung in Latin. Live recording
25.  Mattinata (Morning) (Leoncavallo) Previously unreleased (newly discovered recording) 

Recording information: #1: Recorded May 5, 1949. #2: June 6, 1950. #3: February 23, 1951. #4: June 30, 1955. #5: June 28, 1955. #6: September 1958. #7-16: December 1958. #17-23: June 1959. #24: July 24, 1948. #25: June 1945.