Mario Lanza- An American Tragedy -Great Voices 7- -Great Voice

Mario Lanza: Singing to the Gods (American Made Music) Blessed with one of the great tenor voices of all time, Mario Lanza (1921-1959) rose to spectacular heights in a film, recording, and concert career that spanned little more than a decade. Groomed at the outset for a career on the opera stage, Lanza instead flourished in Hollywoo...	That Midnight Kiss / The Toast of New Orleans Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 07/24/2007 Run time: 195 minutes	American Caruso Mario Lanza did more to bring classical music and opera to the masses through the popular art of movies than anyone else. His unique tenor voice was known to millions through such hit films as The Great Caruso and The Toast of New Orleans, and on such chart-topping records as "Be...	The Mario Lanza Collection (3CD)	Mario Lanza "On these programs Lanza is warm, appealing, manly, charismatic and full of vitality. On some occasions his voice sounded coarse, thick and labored. But here it has a glow - the full voice rings, the mezza voce is sweet. When he sings you see that his tongue has a furrow down the...
Mario Lanza ~ Opera Arias & Duets, from Andréa Chenier · La Bohème · I Pagliacci · Madama Butterfly · Otello	Mario Lanza: Tenor in Exile Almost forty years after his premature death, the mystique of Mario Lanza continues: he remains a legendary figure, a crossover icon embraced by an entire generation for bridging the gap between popular and classical music. Roland Bessette's research into Lanza's career includes ...	Seven Hills of Rome	The Great Caruso	Christmas with Mario Lanza

super value
Well written book with the bonus of a CD of rare recordings . A must have for all Lanza fans.

Finally a Biography Fit for the Greatest Voice of All Time
Maestro Cesari has done a wonderful service to all those who search for truth about the exciting, magnificent and tragic life of Mario Lanza. His marvelously researched work is splendid and is meticulously documented with facts and figures. What emerges is a clear separation of the man, the myth and the artist. Lanza is not glorified in Maestro Cesari's book. Instead the author creates a mosaic which portrays a tenor who wanted to sing for the people and bring classical opera to all as well as give endless pleasure through his glorious renditions of popular music. It also shows a great perfectionist who knew that he possessed a sacred gift to leave for posterity. Anyone who listens to his finest recordings will understand why five decades after his death millions still listen to him and fan clubs and societies to promote his memory and music span the globe. Testimonials, carefully documented, by the best and brightest performers of Lanza's generation gave clear evidence that he was the greatest tenor and perhaps the greatest singer of all time. This is an excellent book and all those who seek a real portrait of Mario Lanza owe Maestro Cesari an enormous debt of gratitude. He devoted decades to preparing this wonderful work and it deserves rave reviews. Someday a fine movie will be made about Lanza, along the lines of "Amadeus" or "Ray" that will depict the great voice and the great man who possessed it and cared for it enough so we can still enjoy it today. Bravo Mario and Bravo Maestro Cesari!!

Lanza Takes Your Heart Out And Controls It
I am neither music critic nor literary critic. But let me just say ... When Lanza was focused, when he was free to be an artist, when he wasn't destroying himself, there was and is NO one better. And fortunately "Lanza at his best" is NOT a rare thing! Go listen to his work (you can start with the CD in this book, which is worth the price of the book and MORE). Yes you have to ignore some "bad" stuff (musically and personally) he did, but if his magnificent voice and artistry (which does exist OFTEN) doesn't grip your heart and soul if you let it, I suspect not much really does. The critics can say what they want about artists like Callas and Lanza, but it is their ilk that demonstrate that the words do mean something, and that "passion is the only truth, all else is lies!" Lanza was a gift to the world, yes a flawed one, but a true gift none the less. Others that may have had, or do have, more critical acclaim and/or popular followings, more often than not, cannot come close to bringing you to where Lanza brings you. I just received the book yesterday so I'm not finished reading it. However so far it's a very good read. And by the way, if those "flattering quotes" aren't true, well they should have been, and only one's feelings of being embarrassingly bested would have prevented their utterances.

A MUST READ!!!!!!!!!!
WOW, I must say this book Mario Lanza: An American Tragedy (Great Voices) (Hardcover) by Armando Cesari sure ends depressing (but most of the book is a wonderful and fun part to read) and really does show what a great Tragedy both Lana's life and death was and is; (and the ending must be read to get the whole story). I knew of his untimely death and all the myths surrounding his life and death; but I did not know the real story. I just knew I love his voice, the power, the beauty, the range, the breath control, he was just terrific; Maybe the best singer of all time. Read Ceserir's Bio of Lanza and his family you will get his history and also more, you can see how and why he never fulfilled his promise of being a great opera star; and with his talent he could have, arguably, been the best. Ceseri uses quotes extensively of those who know Mario, well, both family friends, actors, singers, hangers on, etc., in relating the events of his life. He also shows the criticisms both good and bad, and he shows why many of the bad ones were unfounded. Ceseri shows how those who really knew music, and opera more so, were enthralled with Mario's voice. he dispells the Myths of any doctoring of Marios voice by RCA, and also dispells the myths of the hollywood rumor mill. At the same time Ceseri shows us all side's of lanza, he does not pull any punches, and he gives us a balanced view of lanza's life, the good and the bad. I would highly reconed this book to anyone who wants to know the real story of Mario lanza. THE CD that comes with the book is fantastic!!!!!

More of a Tribute than a Biography
After having read other books about Mario Lanza's life and death, I must say that while this book is very well researched and very detailed in it's content, it doesn't quite live up to some of the rave reviews presented here. There are a number of shortcomings with this book: 1. Mr.Cesari seems totaly taken with his subject and shys away from all but the most necessary mention of Lanza's infamous habits and less than complimentry antics. 2. The author spent entirely too much time presenting meaningless facts and trivial details (license plate # of the hearse carrying the tenor's body, draft registration # etc) which in turn makes for less than exciting reading of the entire book. 3. The overall picture presented of Lanza is that of a hapless victim of circumstance with little will or power to control his own fate. Blame for the tenor's fate is shifted to any and eveyone from his accompanist/conductor Costa Calinicos, his managers, his wife, on to the various powers at MGM and beyond. At no time does the author hold Lanza directly responsible for the ill-fated decisions that led to the tenors' early demise. Good points about the book include a vast photo collection which is by and far the most extensive offered in any of Lanza's biographies to date and the enclosed CD which is interesting since the song selection seems to try and demonstrate Lanza's operatic genious to his detractors rather than present his best renditions of the arias he is most closely assiciated with. All in all this book is more of a loving and welcome tribute to a great artist and complicated man than an objective and all encompassing biography of an American icon.