MARIO LANZA

Biography

Mario Lanza, Alfredo Arnold Cocozza was born in 1921 in Philadelphia. Their parents were Italian immigrants. Its mother, Maria Lance, tapeworm a beautiful voice, but could not be in the scenes because his father did not allow it.

The father of Alfredo, Antonio Cocozza, was a hero of I World war . The five years, he showed a great interest in the old Vitrola (phonograph with cord motor) familiar.

To the sixteen years, Alfredo announced its intention to become singer. Her mother, excited with the dream that could not fulfill, supported all the possible to him and she made him take lessons from song. Serge Koussevitsky was shortage by the director, that was made an impression so with its voice that guaranteed a scholarship to him.

He was then that decided to use Mario Lanza like artistic nickname, putting the last name of its mother, who could not sing. In the Festival of Music of Berkshire it made his debut, in the work “the Wife of Windsor”. Its operática race was interrupted by World War II when it was assigned to the Special Services of the American Air Force. Great Moments in Music retook its race of singer in October of 1945 in a program of denominated radio station CBS (Great moments of music) where operática music did six appearances singing. Later, it studied under the direction of Enrico Rosati by 15 months.

Later, it initiated an extensive tour of 86 concerts in the United States, Canada and Mexico between Julio of 1947 and May of 1948. As a result of a concert in Hollywood Bowl its talent draws attention of the executive and founder of cinematographic MGM (Metro Goldwin Mayer), Louis B. Mayer, who made sign to Lance a cinematographic contract of seven years of duration.

At the same time as it initiates its cinematographic race, realizes his first commercial recordings for RCA Victor. The first tapes that That Midnight Kiss carried out and The Toast of New Orleans, were so successful, as their record race, which increased its fame dramatically. In 1951, Lance interpreted to the Italian tenor Enrico Caruso in the tape The Great Caruso (the great Caruso), that achieved a resonant success. Simultaneously, its popularity exposed to Lance to intense criticisms of some experts, including whom they had bet by his work in his initial years.

It was dismissed to 1952, after The Student Prince had recorded the songs of the tape (the prince student). The reason more frequently mentioned by its dismissal in the press at the moment was the appellant problem of weight that it made impossible to fit in clothes of the Prince, but according to its biographers the real reason was a discussion that was generated with the initial director of the tape, Curtis Bernhardt, that demanded the tenor to him who recorded the sound track again so that him parecia that was sung ” of a way very emocional”.

Mario Lanza decided not to work in this film with this director, unless another one were designated. MGM refused to replace Bernhardt, and the film later took control of actor Edmund Purdom doubling the voice of Lance. Ironically, the director of the film was Richard Thorpe, the same man proposed by Lance before MGM to replace Bernhardt, and with who had had an excellent relation of work in ” The Great Caruso”.

Gotten depressed by its dismissal, and with its confidence in itself seriously undermined, Lance frequently became a virtual solitaire for more than a year, looking for refuge in the alcohol. During this period, Mario Lanza also was closely together of the economic bankruptcy as a result of the bad decisions of investment carried out by its ex- artistic proxy, and of its habits of lavish expenses left that it with about $ 250,000 in debts by taxes. Serenade returned to the cinematographic activity in 1955 in the tape (Serenade). Nevertheless, in spite of its contained fort musical, he was not as successful as its previous films. Lance soon moved Rome, in May of 1957, where ” worked in the film; The Seven Hills of Roma” and it returned to live in the performance of a series of concerts of fame in all the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European continent. Although its health decayed, which was translated in a series of cancellations during this period, Lance continued receiving supplies for operas, concerts, and films.

By the end of August of 1958, it made a series of operísticas recordings in the Opera of Rome for the sound track than it was his last film, For the first Time (For the first time). Here, it made contact with enemy with the artistic director of the Opera of Rome, Riccardo Vitale, that apparently offered the paper to him of Canio in operates Il Pagliacci during season 1960-61. At the same time, its health continued decaying undergoing a variety of diseases, including acute flebitis and arterial hypertension.

In April of 1959, Mario Lanza underwent a cardiac attack, followed of the double pneumonia in August. Embolia died in Rome the 7 of October of 1959 to the 38 years of one pulmonary. Her widow, Betty Cocozza, moved to Hollywood with her four children, but she used barbiturates to commit suicide five months later; The Marc, youngest of its two children, died in 1993 of an attack to the heart at the age of 37 years.

The short race of Mario Lanza includes opera, radio, concerts, recordings and films. She was the first artist of RCA Victor Network Seal that received a golden record. Also she was the first artist in selling two and average million albums. Lance inspired the race of the successive generations of opera singers, including Placid Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, I read Nucci and Jose Races, as well as those of singers apparently with different antecedents and influences. In 1994, the tenor Jose Races anywhere in the world pays tribute to Lance in a tour of concerts, saying of him, ” If I am an opera singer, is thanks to Mario Lanza.”

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