“I sing as if my life depended on it, and if I stopped my life would end.” We can say that this is what actually happened with the one that Arturo Toscanini called “the voice of the century.”

The life of the American tenor and actor Mario Lanza had, indeed, all the characteristics of a Shakespearean tragedy. The wild child from Philadelphia, who – inspired by Enrico Caruso – wanted to become the greatest opera singer who ever lived, was a true ‘superstar’ even before this word was invented. He was a source of inspiration for all the great tenors that followed: Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras and Andrea Bocelli.

His voice ... as the Northern Lights

The Great Caruso – the movie shot on the MGM sets in 1951  – had the biggest box office in the world, and Mario Lanza’s interpretation determined the critics to compare his voice to the Northern Lights, coming from an incomparably sensitive heart, full of passion and vulnerability.

His beginning on the lyrical stage took place at the Tanglewood Music Festival in Berkshire on 7^th August, 1942, where he interpreted Fenton from The Merry Wives of Windsor by Otto Nicolai. The tenor’s success aged 21 back then, made the critics say Mario Lanza will never come across any obstacle in his way to the Metropolitan Opera House. He was, by turns, Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Boheme, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and Alfredo in Verdi’s La Traviata.

The downfall of his career

In 1954 he got  fired from the MGM while shooting the The Student Prince. After this episode, the tenor Mario Lanza could not find his emotional balance and his career began an irredeemable downfall. While trying to re-strengthen his life and career, he decided to move to Italy, but on 7^th October, 1959, aged 38, he died of a heart attack.

“There will simply be no other Mario Lanza.” – the People Magazine wrote in homage paid to the fascinating tenor. His movies and recordings are still a source of inspiration today.

On Tuesday, 7^th October, 2014, we are celebrating 55 years since tenor Mario Lanza’s death. That is why, the Calendar Pages section presented by Anca Ioana Andriescu within the Arpeggio programme, is dedicated to him.

Arpeggio, 7^th October, 2014, at 11:30; presented by Monica Isăcescu.