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 | Mario Lanza: An American Tragedy - A review by Pamela Margles Posted by Derek McGovern on 11/21/2004, 9:16pm | |
| Wholenote Magazine (Toronto), Nov-Dec 2004 issue. Review of Mario Lanza: An American Tragedy, by Armando Cesari (Fort Worth: Baskerville 2004). Even if everything had gone well, Mario Lanza would have had a lot of problems, according to a friend quoted in this sad and compelling new biography. But things could hardly have gone worse. According to Armando Cesari, Lanza's tragedy was his inability "to realize his rightful artistic destiny" as an opera singer. But there's no evidence he would have fared better if he had played out his career on the opera stage. As Cesari tells it, Lanza was surrounded by crooks, mediocrities, money-grubbers, ingrates, and incompetents. His health mental and physical was wrecked by alcohol, depression, and repeated cycles of bingeing and dieting. Lanza, who displayed a stupefying lack of self-awareness, was "as insecure as it is possible for a human being to be." Cesari brings out Lanza's vivacious charm. But he can't avoid the offensive boorishness and uncontrollable rages. Cesari offers astute assessments of his extraordinarily popular films, recordings, and radio broadcasts. Placido Domingo's admiring preface testifies to Lanza's deep and enduring influence. Cesari includes detailed lists of recordings, films, and concert appearances, copious photos and an accompanying CD of rare recordings. Lanza's saga, in its best telling so far, touches on too many aspects of talent and abuse to be overlooked. -Pamela Margles | ||
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