Mario Lanza : tenor in exile / Roland L. Bessette.
| Author/creator | Bessette, Roland L. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | Portland, OR : Amadeus Press, 1999. |
| Description | 270 pages, 36 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | The beginning -- Early training -- Private Alfred Arnold Cocozza -- Marriage and Mary -- A false start -- Redirection: Weiler and Rosati -- Costa -- Concert road to Hollywood -- Early warnings -- That Midnight Kiss -- Stardom -- The Toast of New Orleans -- MGM in transition -- The curse of Caruso -- The Great Caruso -- Triumphal tour and the Coke Show -- Lanza and the critics -- Because You're Mine -- The Student Prince -- Standoff -- Wasteland -- The CBS hoax -- Vegas -- Serenade -- Casting about -- Farewell to America -- The Seven Hills of Rome -- Command performance -- Grand tour -- For the First Time -- Recording artist, take 2 -- Final rally -- The aftermath and the legacy -- A retrospective diagnosis. |
| Abstract | 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. The author's research into Lanza's career includes recollections by his fellow performers and documents business transactions that show how badly Lanza was served by many of his advisors. With a novelist's eye for detail. The author captures the inherent tragedy of the singer's life, recounting unblinkingly the contradictory facets of his personality, the generosity and the boorishness, the passion for life and the self-destructive bouts with alcohol. Above all, he recognizes in Lanza one of history's great natural voices, unequalled in its power and immediacy. |
| Bibliography note | Includes discography and filmography (pages 258-261). |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 256-257) and index. |
| LCCN | 98024135 |
| ISBN | 1574670441 |