I’m delighted to announce that London-based Sepia Records will be releasing Mario Lanza: The Quintessential Tenor on 6 April 2023, followed by a general release on 12 May. Armando Cesari, Vincent Di Placido, Carmel Parisi and I compiled the CD, and it is the twelfth Lanza release that we have worked on for Sepia. As always, none of us has any financial involvement with this company; these CD projects are strictly a labour of love for us. The CD is a multi-genre compilation spanning the years 1948 to 1959, and includes a number of rare recordings, as well as material sourced directly from original film and studio acetates. Mario Lanza Institute President William Ronayne, Jnr, provided the invaluable acetate transfers for this CD. |
A further attraction is that ten of the mono recordings are in Digitally Extracted Stereo (DES), a process that has provided greater clarity to some of the less well-recorded material, such as the exciting 1955 film outtake of “Nessun dorma” and the 1959 “One Alone” acetate, while providing a sumptuous orchestral backing to sonically superior recordings, including the MGM “Serenade” from The Student Prince, “Because You’re Mine” with Doretta Morrow, and “You and the Night and the Music.” Click here to listen to a teaser from the CD.
Other highlights on the CD include a previously unreleased outtake of the haunting “Hills of Home” (beautifully sung, and superior to the released version), a superior second take of the unused original “Serenade” from the film of the same name (of which only the first take has ever been commercially released), an extended version of the “Miserere” (recorded for the soundtrack of The Great Caruso) that restores the opening with soprano Lucine Amara and the chorus, and the best reproductions I have heard of Lanza’s 1958 version of “Tu Ca Nun Chiagne” and his 1948 Hollywood Bowl performance of “Nessun dorma.”
UPDATE (30 April 2023): The CD is now in stock at Sepia Records' London headquarters. Please click here for orders. For those in the US, the CD is currently available exclusively from the Mario Lanza Institute. To order the CD from the Institute, please click here. Proceeds from purchases of the CD from the Institute will go towards scholarships in Lanza's name for young singers. From May 6 onwards, the CD will also be available for in-person purchase at the Mario Lanza Museum on 1214 Reed Street, Philadelphia. (Please phone 215-238-9691 for information about opening hours.)
UPDATE (30 April 2023): The CD is now in stock at Sepia Records' London headquarters. Please click here for orders. For those in the US, the CD is currently available exclusively from the Mario Lanza Institute. To order the CD from the Institute, please click here. Proceeds from purchases of the CD from the Institute will go towards scholarships in Lanza's name for young singers. From May 6 onwards, the CD will also be available for in-person purchase at the Mario Lanza Museum on 1214 Reed Street, Philadelphia. (Please phone 215-238-9691 for information about opening hours.)