This year sees the 40th anniversary of Mario Lanza’s early death in Rome, aged only 38. If his posthumous reputation still continues to divide critical opinion, the very considerable sales of his recordings are such that his name and voice are far from forgotten by his public.
This latest release reveals Lanza in his element – the world of ballads and songs from musical shows. He puts across well-known songs by Romberg, Kern, Porter, Rodgers, Coward and Schwartz with total conviction and commitment in his most opulent vocal form. True, he is prone to over-emote at times, on occasion singing sharp of the note, but you either accept his style or not. His diction throughout is exemplary, a model for aspiring singers.
The 22 tracks (two of which – Rodgers’s My romance and Schzertzinger’s One night of love – appear for the first time) are taken from extant tapes made in Los Angeles during 1951-2 for subsequent use in the weekly ‘Mario Lanza Show’, a radio series sponsored by Cola-Cola. The remastering of the excellent original mono sound is most successful. I do, however, blanch at the over-lush and, at times, glutinous orchestral arrangements.Malcolm Walker