Mario Lanza And Friends

A REMEMBRANCE

by Jim Thompson

I think it is safe to say all of Mario Lanza’s ardent fans through the years have always hoped for more information on the man, his life and certainly his art. In this age of the internet , I believe that Mario Lanza will probably and, hopefully, remain an artist listened to and looked up to by new fans world-wide. Have you taken a look at Youtube? Have you Googled “Lanza”? Have you checked the Lanza forums or my internet site: Mariolanzaandfriends.com? And let me remind everyone of the many informative biographies which have been written about Lanza. As Mario’s biographers have correctly stated, Mario was not an “Opera singer”. Mario had, however, a God given voice of operatic quality and power along with the ability born in him to bring operatic music to new appreciation due to the intensity and the reverence he held for it. Did Mario have the finesse many lovers of the operatic voice demand in their choice of singers? Yes and no. I find Mario used finesse in a natural way when he deemed an aria, song or passage called for it. That may not always have been to the liking of opera buffs, but I find Mario ‘s understanding of the words guided his immediate interpretation of a given passage. Here’s a thought I’d put out there for discussion: simply singing softly, to my ear, doesn’t always present as having finesse. A passionate reading can also have finesse. I firmly believe Mario Lanza loved the idea of being an opera singer and although the word “crossover” probably never crossed his mind, he knew, for the most part, how to bring his operatic qualities to music that called for different interpretations. By the way, the magnificent singer Eileen Farrell expressed to me in an interview her utter dislike of that term…crossover. Miss Farrell said good singing and good interpretive skills was what music was all about. Mario knew this. As all of Mario Lanza’s fans look back on the years of his performing and ponder the decisions he made about his art, we cannot but feel a bit of sadness and disappointment. I cannot imagine executives at RCA Victor denying this young man’s desire to sing with this or that soprano or baritone. I cannot imagine why plans did not materialize to have the tenor perform in certain operatic recordings. What decisions and by who made the operatic output of Mario Lanza be as meager as we have? I have to believe it was Mario’s decision on many fronts and I believe it must have come from fear and insecurities about the tremendous talent that was his and for which he did not have to work as hard as other artists he respected. We have read about his bravado and recognition of his own talent. I can only surmise Mario’s personal fears, whatever they might have been, kept him away from the performing stage and recording studio. Bjorling, Di Stefano, Tucker, London, Albanese…all of them giants who were admired by Lanza and who, in turn, admired his exceptional talent. Would that he could have sung with them in proper operatic venues! I’ve often wondered what Mario’s feelings would have been toward the end of his life had he admitted to himself that he would never sing on the grand operatic stages. As a one-time baritone, I admire the high endings tenors love. And that is where I want to end this short, personal retrospective. I have loved the voice of Mario Lanza since I first heard it and have admired the man after seeing him in his films. Having met his mother and three of his children, the last of whom remains a dear friend, I know that he was a good son, husband to Betty and father to Colleen, Elissa, Damon and Marc. The years of performing, between Philadelphia to that last day in Rome, left us a magnificent legacy of beauty to enjoy over and over again. Year after year, the magic of that superb voice is listened to and loved by old fans and by new ones who are attracted to his unique sound. Grazie Mario!