Edited by author 11-04-2009 12:36 PM
MARTINO carlo buti indeed is the defintion of a great pop tenor and his voice yes is richer than vinces with a little more body to it but none the less there soooo close to perfection the 2 of them.of the american pop singers theres only one that stands out in italian songs.its not dino nor tony bennet or sinatra or lou monte etc etc.they cant hold a candle to jimmy roselli.neither can jerry vale lol who well lets say im not a fan of his.

on youtube i just listened to vince sing 2 songs talked about here.chiove and corengrato.curiosity got the best of me soo i went to see what all this fuss was about..well after hearing n seeing vince sing these songs 4 words came to mind fast..pure beautifull magnificent and perfect.THATS how italian songs are supposed to be sung.vince used all his natural gifts to a max effort without once straying into something thats not him or beyound him..he is a extremly intelligent singer with marvelous interpetations that deliver the essence of the song n story telling to a romantisizing effortless poem.hes far more talented than many sooo called stars.vince combines his heart his mind and intelligent use of his voice in a way that many well know singers most certainly can learn from.vince welcome to the club of a few handfull of singers that know how to realy sing an italian song.your in elite company.good luck and i wish singing fortune of yours goes well beyound ireland.

Wendy: A CD is available of the RAH concert. Of top quality, it was made from master tapes and includes all that you described. The only cuts are the Callincos solos since it was deemed that most Lanza fans would not care about them. I have heard (and enjoyed) Callincos' playing, but after hearing them a few times I wanted to fast forward through them. Email me if you want the CD.

I have the all Gershwin show with the big band tomorrow night and have been rehearsing and forgot if I gave you guys my review of the DVD I received of "For The First Time". (I hope I remember the Gershwin lyrics better than I do my posting!) The packaging is professional and has photos and descriptions. It is very hard to find this film in the original cinemascope ratio, so it's very nice to enjoy the beauty of the on location photography and have the full picture on screen without losing half of it. The sound is excellent…very crisp and sharp. The best I have heard so far. The only down side is that the color is pastel in some scenes and richer in others. I am sure this is not a Laser Disc transfer (ensuring top pic and sound quality) as are many of the titles in the other Lanza offerings by this source. He also has a good number of prime Hollywood musicals unavailable yet like Ann Blyth's Rose Marie and many, many more. Prices are very reasonable. If you are interested, go to www.raremoviesandconcerts.com.

In listening once more to the fine CD of Vince Di Placido, I was again impressed with his fine interpretations, including "Core 'ngrato". I decided to go through a few different renditions of this song from my library of classical and popular singers and also a couple I found on youtube. I probably played a dozen all total.

This famous Italian song has been sung by virtually ever tenor worth his salt, as well as many singers with other voice types. In the right hands it can be equally affecting as sung by either "pop" singers or opera singers. I never heard the ending sung as Vince sings it and it is truly unique and beautiful. Indeed, he sings the entire song beautifully from start to finish.

I found a rendition that is on youtube that is somewhat similar in style to the way Vince sings it. The singer is one of the greatest and most famous Italian "pop tenors" of years ago, Carlo Buti. Buti may have had a bit more richer voice than does Di Placido but I think you will hear some striking similarities:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0tt1jBG9Ag

Of the opera singers who have sung this song there are many contenders but (IMO) first place goes to Giuseppe Di Stefano, and by a considerable margin. He recorded "Core..." several times but there is a version, perhaps even on youtube, that must not be missed. He sings in typical operatic style but with a "pop" expression. I believe this particular recording came from a concert given in the '50s and contains the rarely sung second verse (which Vince also sings). It takes Giuseppe six or seven minutes to get through this unique arrangement but every second is to be savored like fine wine.

There is another fellow, also more operatic than "pop", that gives a very passionate and well sung performance of this song. His name is Francesco Valpa. I mention him as a vehicle for comparison. He sings as passionately as does Buti and Vince but in a totally different way. Although it is always easier to detect the "passion" in a voice the fuller and bigger it is, singers like Buti express it in their diction and the way they caress the text. They simply can not rely on mere lung power to overwhelm you with their expression. I mention Valpa not only because of his interpretation but because his ending is as opposite to Buti and Di Placido as can possibly be (and also because I and probably most people never even heard of Valpa before).

Where Vince, eg, goes to the soft, higher ending in mostly head voice, Valpa does it in typical opera tenor style, hitting the high note loudly and in full chest voice. In fact, his attack on that final note is eerily reminiscent of Franco Corelli in sound - not to mention he holds the note much longer than most, as Corelli often did. Valpa's rendition is below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTdt5txz_AI&feature=related

Which style you prefer probably depends on your mood and what you are looking for that particular day. Buti and Di Placido could no more sing in Valpa's style than he could in theirs. Both (the "pop" and the operatic) are wonderful in their own way and which way it is sung is mostly dependent on the kind of voice you were given. In this song, only DiStefano and a couple others were able to bridge both worlds into one. It simply shows that a great song is just that - a great song, no matter what.

Edited by author 11-04-2009 09:45 AM
Having produced NAUGHTY MARIETTA for Columbus Light Opera, I can tell you there is a song called "It's Pretty Soft for Simon" sung by Simon O'Hara, one of the show's several comedic characters. The "soft" refers to his new job as whipping boy to the Royal Governor's family.

Here's a performance of "Simon" on YouTube by a singer in the Concert Operetta Theatre of Philadelphia. By the way, that company was founded and is directed by Daniel Pantano, who is a past winner of the Lanza Institute scholarship:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MABRCaiW1gQ

Fred, by the way, there are three other numbers from NAUGHTY MARIETTA that are pretty well known: Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!, which Mario recorded for this CAVALCADE OF SHOW TUNES album, Marietta's Act I showstopper, "Italian Street Song," and Adah's lovely ballad, "Neath the Southern Moon."

It would be nice to know who sang "This Land" in THE LORD DON'T PLAY FAVORITES. Dick Haymes would be the logical choice, but the cast also included Kay Starr and Louis Armstrong. I can't imagine Satchmo doing it!

Edited by author 11-04-2009 08:56 AM
A couple weeks ago we talked of the MET's "Aida" theatercast which brought the discussion around to Maria Callas' Mexico City performances of this and other operas. I mentioned that a frequent colleague of hers during this time was Lanza's friend and informal voice coach, Robert Weede. He was a very good American baritone who found himself caught between truly great ones such as Tibbett, Merrill and Warren and today is not nearly as well remembered as those others. The clip below has him singing the Prologue from "Pagliacci" and it shows he needed to take a back seat to no one. You can understand why Mario (and many other singers) went to him for advice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks6EY2MFrDI

Marty - years ago, I had the completely unedited RAH concert on cassette tape, nothing was left out, it included Mario clearing his throat, whistling, making comments to Callinicos, and also Callinicos' piano interludes (he played three concert pieces brilliantly). The whole thing, and no where did Mario sing "It's Pretty Soft for Simon"! Unfortunately, over twenty years, the tape has got mislaid/lost, which is a pity, because I feel that the CD, although good, misses something without all these little extra human touches.

Rita: Thanks for the info. Caranza has seventeen CD's???!!! I would have to see a list of the contents of each, to make a decision as to which ones to purchase. I will write him, when I can. Thanks again. Ciao.

Mike: No, I have not heard, to my recollection, Dennis Day singing The Stars And Stripes Forever. I would be curious to hear it, and I can almost hear it in my mind, as he would sing it. Perhaps, he sang it on the Jack Benny Show, and recorded it soon after. As he did with a song called "Sinner Man". Ciao.

Naughty Marietta produced 2 big hit songs: I'm Falling In Love With Someone & Ah Sweet Mystery Of Life. I've never heard of or heard "It's Pretty Soft For Simon". If that song is in the show, it must be sung by a female in the show. Joke, indeed!! Certainly not sung by Lanza!!! Ciao.

This Land was written by Hal Stanley & Irving Taylor. It is from the NBC-TV Producers Showcase production of "The Lord Don't Play Favorites" (1956). Dick Haymes was one of the stars in that TV production. I've never seen it, so I don't know if Haymes sang that song in that show. Lanza is not known to have ever written any song!! I doubt that he ever did !! Ciao.

Fred: You might try Caranza's e-mail which is: pbhale@att.net

I'm sure he would be more than happy to sell you some of his CD's. He has
seventeen (17); Elvis, Neil Diamond, Tony Bennett and many more.

He was very entertaining.

I just received my copy of David Bret's new book and two things jumped off the pages when I looked through it. According to Bret, Mario sang "It’s pretty soft for Simon" from "Naughty Marietta" at his Albert Hall concert? Is this a joke? Bret does say it was left off the RCA album but I can't imagine Mario singing something like this. Bret also states that "This Land" was Mario's own composition. Sam, anyone, any thoughts?

I noticed something the other night I had never caught before. In "For the First Time" while Mario is walking around singing "Come Prima", there is one quick shot showing his shoes. They are high heeled to give him more height!

Fred- Did you ever hear Dennis Day's vocal of "Stars and Stripes Forever"? Quite entertaining!