 | I’m excited to announce a second (!) 2022 Lanza CD release from UK-based Sepia Records: The Electrifying Mario Lanza: Rarities and Restored Recordings. This is the 11th CD that Armando Cesari, Vince Di Placido, Carmel Parisi and I have compiled for Sepia’s ongoing Lanza series. (Please note, however, that none of us has any financial involvement in this CD.) Like its immediate predecessor, the Billboard-charting Undiscovered Mario Lanza, this multi-genre CD includes restored acetates of a number of film and studio recordings, all of which contain major surprises. These acetates were originally preserved by Lanza aficionado Clyde Smith and then painstakingly transferred to digital versions by Mario Lanza Institute President Bill Ronayne. |
They include a gorgeous “Lee Ah Loo”—as heard in Because You’re Mine, but happily without the MGM compression here—a slightly extended (and thrilling) “Cielo e Mar” from the first operatic montage in The Great Caruso, and four revelatory 1959 recordings: “Only a Rose” (duet version, but this time without the overlaid soprano), “Serenade,” “Silent Night,” and a rare reprise version of “Nocturne.” It’s fascinating to hear these late recordings in their original, untampered form, and they all confirm that RCA did Lanza no favours in its subsequent mixing.
The bulk of the CD features remastered radio transcriptions and vinyl pressings. These include excellent restorations of “Where or When” and “Testa adorata,” both of which transcend their transcription sources. (In fact, the former sounds the best I’ve heard it.) Among the restored vinyl selections are Lanza’s often-overlooked first version of “Come Dance With Me” (the RCA recording, and not the more familiar Seven Hills of Rome soundtrack rendition)—now sounding richer and more vibrant than ever—a gloriously radiant “Look for the Silver Lining,” and a beautifully reproduced “You Are My Love.”
The CD also features the best reproductions I’ve heard of the RCA version of “Marechiare,” “Dio ti giocondi” from Otello with Licia Albanese, and the Monologue that immediately follows this duet.
As always with Sepia Records’ Lanza releases, a booklet of detailed liner notes and rare photos is included.
UPDATE (July 6): Sepia Records already has this CD in stock (it's currently listed on their website as a "forthcoming release" for August 2022, but is actually available now). Click here for ordering information.
The CD will be available from Amazon and other online sellers from August 5. For purchasers in America, the Mario Lanza Institute and Museum will also be stocking this CD from July 22, with proceeds going towards the Institute’s annual scholarships. The CD can be ordered now from the Mario Lanza Institute at this link.
The bulk of the CD features remastered radio transcriptions and vinyl pressings. These include excellent restorations of “Where or When” and “Testa adorata,” both of which transcend their transcription sources. (In fact, the former sounds the best I’ve heard it.) Among the restored vinyl selections are Lanza’s often-overlooked first version of “Come Dance With Me” (the RCA recording, and not the more familiar Seven Hills of Rome soundtrack rendition)—now sounding richer and more vibrant than ever—a gloriously radiant “Look for the Silver Lining,” and a beautifully reproduced “You Are My Love.”
The CD also features the best reproductions I’ve heard of the RCA version of “Marechiare,” “Dio ti giocondi” from Otello with Licia Albanese, and the Monologue that immediately follows this duet.
As always with Sepia Records’ Lanza releases, a booklet of detailed liner notes and rare photos is included.
UPDATE (July 6): Sepia Records already has this CD in stock (it's currently listed on their website as a "forthcoming release" for August 2022, but is actually available now). Click here for ordering information.
The CD will be available from Amazon and other online sellers from August 5. For purchasers in America, the Mario Lanza Institute and Museum will also be stocking this CD from July 22, with proceeds going towards the Institute’s annual scholarships. The CD can be ordered now from the Mario Lanza Institute at this link.
RSS Feed