Mario Lanza - Agnus Dei (Hollywood Bowl, 1948)

During the month of January, Dead Tenors’ Society celebrates the 100th birthday of Mario Lanza! He was born Alfred Arnold Cocozza on January 31, 1921 in Philadelphia, the only child of Antonio Cocozza and Maria Lanza Cocozza. Freddie (as Lanza was known then) grew up listening to his father’s collection of Caruso records and in his teens was found to have an exceptional voice. He began singing in local amateur productions, debuting as Contino del Fioro in Ricci’s Crispino e la Comare in 1940. Following 18 months of lessons with retired soprano Irene Williams, a meeting with Serge Koussevitsky was arranged. Upon hearing the 21 year old singer (now calling himself Mario Lanza), the conductor offered him a scholarship to the Berkshire Music Festival in Tanglewood, MA. At Tanglewood, Lanza made his official debut as Fenton in Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. Critics praised the tenor for his remarkable voice as well as his superb diction but warned that the young man needed to take time to cultivate his talent before starting a career. Rather than heeding these warnings, Lanza quickly signed with a talent agency, intending to take whatever work came his way. His plans, however, were put on hold when he was drafted into the Army in 1942. Luckily, Lanza was assigned to Special Services and spent much of his hitch singing camp shows until his discharge in 1945. Lanza journeyed to New York and made a name for himself on radio, filling in for Jan Peerce on “Great Moments in Music”. He also began a brief period of study with Enrico Rosati, the teacher of Beniamino Gigli. By this time, Lanza had been signed by Columbia Artists Management and soon began a series of concerts and recitals. These appearances led to the formation of The Bel Canto Trio with Frances Yeend and George London, which performed over 80 concerts in U.S., Canada and Mexico. Although Lanza received rave reviews for his appearances, the critiques were tempered with the same familiar warnings…take time to cultivate the singing, both technically and artistically. Lanza’s 1947 Hollywood Bowl concert brought him to the attention of Louis B. Mayer, who signed him to a contract at MGM. Lanza had already signed with RCA and would make his professional operatic debut with the New Orleans Opera Association as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly in April of 1948. He was to have followed this with Alfredo in La Traviata, but his new Hollywood career left him with little time for anything but filmmaking. The tenor’s first film, That Midnight Kiss (1949), did a fine job of showcasing Lanza’s talents, both musical and dramatic. This was followed by The Toast of New Orleans (1950) and The Great Caruso (1951). The Caruso biopic broke box office records the world over and Lanza seemed poised to make a string of prestigious pictures. MGM, in its wisdom, next put Lanza in an army comedy, Because You’re Mine (1952), which the tenor hated. Disagreements with director Curtis Bernhardt led to Lanza being fired from The Student Prince, a film he had very much wanted to do. The resulting lawsuit by the studio plunged the tenor into a deep depression and brought his career to a halt. By now, rumors that Lanza had lost his voice were making headlines, as well as reports of his temperamental behavior and his expanding waistline. The tenor, who tended toward corpulency, would be forced by the studio to shed 60 or 70 pounds in a matter of weeks to look good on screen. The effect on his health was devastating. Following a fusillade of bad publicity…a lip synched TV appearance, scathing reviews of his film Serenade (which is actually some of his best work) and a last minute cancellation at Vegas’ New Frontier Hotel…Lanza sailed for Italy, hoping to revive his career. Two films, recording projects and a European concert tour kept the tenor busy, but time was running out. A decade of massively excessive eating and drinking had destroyed his health and, following a series of heart attacks, Lanza died in Rome on October 7, 1959. He was only 38. What a tragic waste of a monumental gift. Mario Lanza has been described as the American Caruso, the greatest tenor voice of his time, a genial colleague, a highly intelligent man. He has also been described as a second rate movie tenor, an opera wannabe, a bipolar alcoholic with the mental and emotional development of a child. The truth probably lies somewhere between these extremes. Regardless of individual opinions, Lanza DID possess an amazing voice of warmth, richness, power and impressive range. He introduced an entire generation of young people to the world of opera and continues to do so some six decades after his tragic and untimely death. He also inspired many a young tenor (myself included) to pursue a career in opera. I feel he deserves our consideration. Here, Lanza delivers a stunning rendition of Bizet’s “Agnus Dei”. This recording was made during a concert at Hollywood Bowl on July 24, 1948.