Mario Lanza

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Philadelphia, United States

Mario Lanza (31 January 1921 – 7 October 1959) was an American operatic tenor and Hollywood movie star who enjoyed success in the 1950s. His voice was considered by many to rival that of Enrico Caruso, whom Lanza portrayed in the 1951 film The Great Caruso. Lanza was able to sing all types of music. While his highly emotional style was not universally praised by critics, he was immensely popular and his many recordings are still prized today.

Operatic career:

Born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was exposed to opera and singing at a young age, and by the age of 16 his vocal talent became apparent. Starting out in local operatic productions in Philadelphia, he later came to the attention of conductor Serge Koussevitzky, who provided young Cocozza with a full student scholarship to the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood in Massachusetts. Koussevitzky would later tell Lanza that, “Yours is a voice such as is heard once in a hundred years.”

His operatic debut, as Fenton in Otto Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, was at Tanglewood on August 7, 1942, after just six weeks of study with conductors Boris Goldovsky and Leonard Bernstein. It was here that Cocozza adopted his stage name from his mother Maria’s maiden name of Lanza. His performances at Tanglewood won him critical acclaim, with Noel Straus of The New York Times hailing the 21-year-old tenor as having “few equals among tenors of the day in terms of quality, warmth, and power.”
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  • The Greatest Hits of Mario Lanza
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  • Be My Love
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  • The Wonderful World Of Mario Lanza
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  • hel1ch

    Ridi Pagliaccio sul tuo amore infranto!

    August 2011

  • pettybo

    Agree with Animal, I have a big sweet crush on Lanza's voice plus his way of not limiting himself to strict opera...but Caruso is hands down the greatest in talent and innovative for taking full advantage of the latest technology during his time. (at least to me - I'm not an expert).

    March 2011

  • Oblaka

    http://kakajarasniza.blogspot.com/

    December 2010

  • Chavie1982

    one of my all time favorite singers so much emotions on his high notes.

    November 2010

  • petruspaul

    Mario Lanza war ein sehr guter Tenor, und Schauspieler. Doch leider Starb er am 7.10. 1959. Alles was er uns hinter lies sind seine Musik und Filme.

    October 2010

  • KevinDemuynck

    Mario lanza isn't popular amongst the youth... a shame !

    August 2010

  • chickrocksteady

    watched a documentary about him yesterday, very sad really. longed to be an operatic tenor, altho he struggled in front of large crowds, but was always perceived as a singing movie star, in america at least. and inspired so many after him to sing! a great shame he died so young

    June 2010

  • chickrocksteady

    bit surprised donkey serenade isnt up there. aiiiii aiiiii aiiiiii yaiiiiiii aiiiiiiiii AAAAAAAA

    April 2010
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