 | I'm thrilled to announce the forthcoming release of Golden Days, the first all-DES (Digitally Extracted Stereo) Mario Lanza CD, and the 13th disc that Armando Cesari, Vincent Di Placido, Carmel Parisi, and I have compiled for London-based Sepia Records. In my opinion, it's the finest Lanza CD yet produced by Sepia--and I say that as someone who (like my fellow compilers) has no financial interest in this release. The CD is sonically spectacular, thanks largely to the amazing work by Stephen Cutler, who painstakingly converted the mono masterpieces that comprise this compilation into authentic-sounding stereo. As for the selections themselves, they consistently represent Lanza at his absolute best in multiple genres. To quote from my liner notes: |
Enrico Caruso, Jnr, son of the legendary tenor, once observed that, “Mario Lanza excelled in both the classical and the light popular repertory, an accomplishment that was beyond even my father’s exceptional talents.” This CD underlines that remarkable versatility, featuring some of Lanza’s finest recordings of popular English songs, operetta, Neapolitan classics, and operatic arias from the earlier monaural period of his career. But this is no ordinary Lanza compilation, for each of the 23 tracks offered here is in Digitally Extracted Stereo (DES) for the first time. Thanks to this revolutionary process, the tenor’s authentic vocals can now be appreciated as never before in astonishingly realistic-sounding multi-track stereo, with the orchestra surrounding his voice, rather than boxing it in within the same narrow monaural “cell.”
The CD is now in stock at Sepia Records in London, and can be ordered here. (Although it's currently listed as a "Forthcoming Release," it is available now.) For those in the US, the CD is now available for pre-orders from the Mario Lanza Institute. Please click here to place your pre-order. Proceeds from Institute sales of the disc will go toward scholarships in Lanza's name for young singers.
Snippets of eight tracks from the CD can be heard here. There is also a discussion on the CD here, and below is a stunning promotional video by Vincent Di Placido:
Snippets of eight tracks from the CD can be heard here. There is also a discussion on the CD here, and below is a stunning promotional video by Vincent Di Placido:
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