Mario Lanza Tribute

Here is a beautiful song magnificently performed by the great Mario Lanza. Mario Lanza (born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1921 — 1959) was an American tenor and Hollywood movie star who enjoyed success in the late 1940’s and 1950’s. 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 always universally praised by critics, he was immensely popular and his many recordings are still prized today. He was exposed to opera and singing at a young age, and by the age of 16 his vocal talent became apparent. His operatic debut 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”. His operatic career was interrupted by World War II, when he was assigned to Special Services in the US Army Air Corps. He resumed his singing career in October 1945 on the CBS radio program “Great Moments in Music”, where he made six appearances singing various operatic selections. He then embarked on an 86-concert tour of the United States, Canada and Mexico between July 1947 and May 1948. A concert at the Hollywood Bowl brought Lanza to the attention of MGM’s Louis B. Mayer, who signed Lanza to a seven-year film contract with Metro Goldwyn Mayer. This would prove to be a turning point in the young …
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