Mario Lanza Sings Otello

This video discusses tenor Mario Lanza (1921-1959)'s various recordings of arias and duets from Verdi's 1887 opera Otello. For those who have long dismissed Lanza as a mere "film singer," this video should be instructive, while for his many admirers the excerpts featured here, together with the full version of his Act III Monologue ("Dio! Mi potevi scagliar tutti i mali"), will no doubt constitute a poignant reminder of what might have been. Here are links to the full versions of the arias and duets featured in this video: "Già, nella notte densa" (Act I duet with Jean Tennyson, soprano) October 1945    • Verdi 'Otello' excerpts. Mario Lanza & Rob...   "Dio ti giocondi" (Act III duet with Gloria Boh) July 1955    • Mario Lanza & Gloria Boh - Dio ti giocondi...   "Dio ti giocondi" (Act III duet with Licia Albanese) November 1955    • Mario Lanza, Licia Albanese - Otello: Duet...   "Dio! Mi potevi scagliar tutti i mali" (Act III monologue) July 1955    • Mario Lanza Dio Mi Potevi   "Niun mi tema" (Act IV Death Scene) Late August or September 1958    • Mario Lanza Niun Mi Tema   Widescreen   _____________________________________________________________ 0:00 Death Scene from Otello (extract) 0:44 Lanza's early training and operatic performances 1:45 Myths about Lanza / How his budding operatic career became sidetracked 3:13 Lanza's dream of singing Otello 3:27 Extract from an outtake of the Act III duet "Dio ti giocondi" (with Gloria Boh) 4:19 Overview of Lanza's recordings from Verdi's Otello 4:56 Could Lanza realistically have performed Otello on stage? 8:22 Introduction to Lanza's 1945 live broadcast of the Act I duet "Già, nella notte densa" 9:10 Two excerpts from the duet "Già, nella notte densa" (with Jean Tennyson) 12:24 Background to the 1955 recording of "Dio ti giocondi" with Licia Albanese 13:07 Extract from the 1955 rendition of "Dio ti giocondi" with Licia Albanese in Serenade 14:44 Another extract from an outtake of the duet "Dio ti giocondi" (with Gloria Boh) 15:22 Albanese on Lanza 15:47 Introduction to Lanza's rendition of the Monologue "Dio! Mi potevi scagliar" 17:05 The Otello Monologue "Dio! Mi potevi scagliar" (complete) 21:24: Introduction to the Death Scene from Otello / Lanza's operatic plans 22:44: Death Scene from Otello ("Niun mi tema") (conclusion)