Mario Lanza: An American Tragedy (Great Voices 7)
by Armando Cesari

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Book Reviews of Mario Lanza: An American Tragedy (Great Voices 7)

Book Review: A moving account of the brilliant Lanza's Ill-fated Life!
Summary: 4 Stars

While I find some things here which bother me they are not related to the written content but are more in the 'housekeeping' realm. i.e: lack of mention of the Preface by highly respected Opera star Placido Domingo on the front cover, lack of Chapter listings for quick reference etc. The few niggling typos I did encounter, which did not detract from the impact of the narrative, would be those of the publisher's data-entry person I would suspect? I am sure most of these things will be corrected during a second printing. Price-wise, between book price (from the publisher), US/Cdn exchange and shipping fees it set me back well over 70 dollars Cdn. Money well spent!
Perhaps the only story ommision that did bother me was the invisibility of Lanza's career-long friend, Terry Robinson. Mentioned only in a few lines (perhaps to give this biography more credence as a serious "musical" look at Lanza), he is completely missing from the marvellous photo gallery within. I found this a little disconcerting.

I tried to take in the narrative as slowly as possible, constantly flipping between story and bibliography to see who said what, and when; all the while trying not to break my concentration and the story's flow once I was 'into it'. I was pleased to see that many in the amazing list of sources were persons of note. I must admit I was a little surprised by the lack of "dirt" here. One always expects that in any Lanza tome I guess. As a magazine writer, I am used to colleagues and editors who record events upon which stories are built in a very dry, chronological way; almost newspaper-like. I found the book a little like that in some respects but obviously well-researched and above all, damned interesting. Lanzaphiles know how the story ends but the way in which events are presented make this book hard to put down (I am currently reading it for the second time).

The 'Discography' is second to none and is a first-rate reference. The CD was a real bonus, with meaty and introspective song notations from Cesari's friend, Derek McGovern. Where one would expect all the 'big ticket' Lanza showstoppers, this disc is simply a marvellous retrospective of Lanza's 'live' singing legacy. Unenhanced, straight from the heart (or top of his head!) sans 'smoke & mirrors', from the beginning to the end of his career. Marvellous! The recording quality was primitive in some cases and the mastering is a little off (minor pitch anomalies and some distortion on a couple of tracks) but what an unexpected collector's item.

We can only hope that this book receives the recognition it richly deserves and sparks a renewal of interest in the new generation of Opera and just-plain-singing aficionados (unfamiliar with Lanza and with minds open and un-poisoned by the pap from the 50's gossip mills). The book and the disc are stand-alone testaments to just what this American phenomenon was all about. Hedda Hopper once headlined "The Fantastic Mario Lanza had a Ticket to Destruction". This book sheds a lot more light on just how tragic his journey was. And, it does so with a lot of class and journalistic good taste. Let us hope that, if and when a definitive film biography on Mario Lanza is ever mounted, the talents of Mr. Cesari and associates will be employed by the screenwriters.

And...let us trust that Baskerville, Amazon et al promote and publicize "Mario Lanza: An American Tragedy" in a conscientious manner. This may be Armando Cesari's defining work...it deserves no less.

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