Rating: 
Summary: The definitive Mario Lanza biography
Review: "The definitive book about the legendary tenor Mario Lanza has been written. Anyone wanting to understand the successes and torments of the life of this American icon must read Armando Cesari's excellent biography." So wrote Dr. Lawrence Galante, Associate Professor at SUNY.I heartily concur with Dr. Galante. This is the most balanced and well-researched account of Lanza's life that one could possibly hope to read. Author Armando Cesari, an expert on singing and opera, has gone further than any previous biographer in uncovering the truth about Lanza the person and the artist. And *what* an artist: "He is Caruso's successor," the notoriously critical soprano Maria Callas once declared, adding shortly before her death that the "biggest regret" of her career was "not having had the opportunity of singing with the greatest tenor" she had ever heard. Sympathetic to Lanza, but at the same time frank about his shortcomings, Mr. Cesari is also the first biographer in over 40 years who possesses the requisite credentials to give this tenor his full musical due. The CD of rare live and home recordings that accompanies the book is a marvellous addition to a great biography. I should, however, declare my partiality here. It was I who wrote the liner notes for these items, something that I was honoured to do after realising the sheer brilliance of Mr. Cesari's biography. The book also includes a staggering 270 photos, many of which have never been published before. For over 50 years Lanza has been - inexplicably - one of the most controversial of all operatic artists. This biography finally establishes his true place among the greatest voices of the last hundred years. It is fitting that Mr. Cesari has included this hauntingly prophetic statement from the celebrated baritone Lawrence Tibbett: "In fifty years people will recognise Lanza for the great artist he is." Mr. Tibbett uttered those words 54 years ago. This book adds immeasurably to that recognition, and explains why singers as respected as the bass-baritone George London have hailed Lanza as the possessor of "the greatest singing instrument ever bestowed on a human being."
Rating: 
Summary: More of a Tribute than a Biography
Review: After having read other books about Mario Lanza's life and death, I must say that while this book is very well researched and very detailed in it's content, it doesn't quite live up to some of the rave reviews presented here.
There are a number of shortcomings with this book:
1. Mr.Cesari seems totaly taken with his subject and shys away from all but the most necessary mention of Lanza's infamous habits and less than complimentry antics.
2. The author spent entirely too much time presenting meaningless facts and trivial details (license plate # of the hearse carrying the tenor's body, draft registration # etc) which in turn makes for less than exciting reading of the entire book.
3. The overall picture presented of Lanza is that of a hapless victim of circumstance with little will or power to control his own fate. Blame for the tenor's fate is shifted to any and eveyone from his accompanist/conductor Costa Calinicos, his managers, his wife, on to the various powers at MGM and beyond.
At no time does the author hold Lanza directly responsible for the ill-fated decisions that led to the tenors' early demise.
Good points about the book include a vast photo collection which is by and far the most extensive offered in any of Lanza's biographies to date and the enclosed CD which is interesting since the song selection seems to try and demonstrate Lanza's operatic genious to his detractors rather than present his best renditions of the arias he is most closely assiciated with.
All in all this book is more of a loving and welcome tribute to a great artist and complicated man than an objective and all encompassing biography of an American icon.
Rating: 
Summary: Lanza as a victim
Review: Armando Cesari's biography of Mario Lanza is the most detailed written to date on this great star but it falls short of being the best. For one thing, Cesari seems reluctant to discard any nugget of information about his idol and the endless trivia eventually becomes tedious. Who but the most fanatical Lanza fan would want to know the license plate number on the mortuary van that carried the tenor's body through Rome?
Cesari's book follows closely the format of two other recent Lanza bios by Roland Bessette and Derek Mannering. In marked contrast to Bessette's book which placed the blame for Lanza's downfall squarely on the tenor's self-destructive lifestyle, Cesari views Lanza mainly as a victim. People close to the singer are frequently dismissed by the author as incompetent or untrustworthy. Constantine Callinicos conducted on many of Lanza's most beautiful recordings and was considered a friend and confidant of the singer. Yet the best that Mr. Cesari can say of him is that "for once, even Callinicos managed to rise to the occasion" when he and Lanza were working on the fabulous Student Prince recording. Patronizing statements like that only detract from Mr. Cesari's much-hyped musical credentials.
Cesari is also keen to present Lanza as an operatic heavyweight which may explain why he accepts a number of preposterous assertions. Chief among these is a glowing tribute by Maria Callas whereby she supposedly referred to Lanza as "Caruso's successor". Countless books have been written about the great diva yet not a single one even mentions Lanza, let alone Callas's alleged praise of his talent. No one disputes that Mario was a great singing star but apart for a couple of early performances as Pinkerton in Puccini's "Butterfly" he remained fully untested on the professional opera stage. You would think that "Caruso's successor" would be expected to put in a few more working hours in the opera house to warrant an extraordinary compliment like that. The quotes ascribed to Callas and Tebaldi on the dust jacket also look suspiciously similar, raising further doubts about the reliability of Mr. Cesari's sources.
Mr. Cesari closes his biography with an odd tirade against the clinic in Rome where Lanza died. Cesari cites illegal medical practice by one of Lanza's doctors as a sign of negligence, but the example he offers took place over two decades after the singer had passed away. This strange and angry outburst finally defeats what should have been an objective and impartial examination of his subject's life.
"Mario Lanza: An American Tragedy" will definitely be of interest to Lanza fans who want to lose themselves in the trivia of his career. More discerning readers who seek a more balanced and less long-winded view of this great singer's life and times may want to look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: A moving account of the brilliant Lanza's Ill-fated Life!
Review: As one who has read many, many biographies on the "Stars", I found Armando Cesari's tragic life story of my favourite tenor compelling reading. I waited a long time to read an account which did not overly-glorify and expound upon Lanza's excesses...again! Everyone who was remotely interested in Lanza while growing up in the fifties and knew how to read a newspaper or magazine, had already read the juicy titbits of Mario's very public life on a daily basis. Some of the other biographies on this singer have leaned heavily for information upon these stories (and, they are "stories" subject to all the flowering-up and exagerrations which keep these tomes on the best-seller lists.). Some of the accounts have been from well-meaning, but knowledge-shy Lanza "historians" (Mannering), from over-the-top, tall-tale-spinning cronies (Robinson) or last and certainly least, from a mean-spirited, non-musical individual whose vocation "supposedly" lent credence to the veracity of his written invective (Bessette). This book by a vocalist, music teacher and now, credible and talented author is none of the above. Mr Cesari has done himself proud in these pages. While I find some things here which bother me they are not related to the written content but are more in the 'housekeeping' realm. i.e: lack of mention of the Preface by highly respected Opera star Placido Domingo on the front cover, lack of Chapter listings for quick reference etc. The few niggling typos I did encounter, which did not detract from the impact of the narrative, would be those of the publisher's data-entry person I would suspect? I am sure most of these things will be corrected during a second printing. Price-wise, between book price (from the publisher), US/Cdn exchange and shipping fees it set me back well over 70 dollars Cdn. Money well spent!
Perhaps the only story ommision that did bother me was the invisibility of Lanza's career-long friend, Terry Robinson. Mentioned only in a few lines (perhaps to give this biography more credence as a serious "musical" look at Lanza), he is completely missing from the marvellous photo gallery within. I found this a little disconcerting. I tried to take in the narrative as slowly as possible, constantly flipping between story and bibliography to see who said what, and when; all the while trying not to break my concentration and the story's flow once I was 'into it'. I was pleased to see that many in the amazing list of sources were persons of note. I must admit I was a little surprised by the lack of "dirt" here. One always expects that in any Lanza tome I guess. As a magazine writer, I am used to colleagues and editors who record events upon which stories are built in a very dry, chronological way; almost newspaper-like. I found the book a little like that in some respects but obviously well-researched and above all, damned interesting. Lanzaphiles know how the story ends but the way in which events are presented make this book hard to put down (I am currently reading it for the second time). The 'Discography' is second to none and is a first-rate reference. The CD was a real bonus, with meaty and introspective song notations from Cesari's friend, Derek McGovern. Where one would expect all the 'big ticket' Lanza showstoppers, this disc is simply a marvellous retrospective of Lanza's 'live' singing legacy. Unenhanced, straight from the heart (or top of his head!) sans 'smoke & mirrors', from the beginning to the end of his career. Marvellous! The recording quality was primitive in some cases and the mastering is a little off (minor pitch anomalies and some distortion on a couple of tracks) but what an unexpected collector's item. We can only hope that this book receives the recognition it richly deserves and sparks a renewal of interest in the new generation of Opera and just-plain-singing aficionados (unfamiliar with Lanza and with minds open and un-poisoned by the pap from the 50's gossip mills). The book and the disc are stand-alone testaments to just what this American phenomenon was all about. Hedda Hopper once headlined "The Fantastic Mario Lanza had a Ticket to Destruction". This book sheds a lot more light on just how tragic his journey was. And, it does so with a lot of class and journalistic good taste. Let us hope that, if and when a definitive film biography on Mario Lanza is ever mounted, the talents of Mr. Cesari and associates will be employed by the screenwriters. And...let us trust that Baskerville, Amazon et al promote and publicize "Mario Lanza: An American Tragedy" in a conscientious manner. This may be Armando Cesari's defining work...it deserves no less.
Rating:
Summary: Reclaiming Mario Lanza's Greatness
Review: Cesari's book is a reclamation project: it is a successful attempt to reclaim Lanza's artistic legacy in a world that clings furiously to a false dichotomy between art and entertainment. It was an implicit acceptance of this conventional dualism that tore Mario Lanza's soul in two, and that lies at the base of the tragedy that Cesari describes. Despite unfulfilled promise, Lanza made an indelible mark on music, becoming, in effect, one of the first great "crossover" artists, who has inspired generations of singers, across genres, challenging the musical snobs of his time who sought to denigrate his remarkable achievements. Bravo to Cesari, and to the subject of his biography.
Rating: 
Summary: A REVIEW BY ANOTHER LANZA BIOGRAPHER
Review: Custom dictates that a biographer refrain from criticism of another writer's work if it deals with the same subject. Moreover, biographers whose work follows significant books by others are invariably indebted to those who preceded them, offering acknowledgement and joining a society of common scholarship and purpose. Not so Mr. Cesari, who has churlishly dismissed the efforts of all who came before him, challenging that he would clear the hall with an effort that came solely from his own research. Because he elected to dismiss my book (Mario Lanza: Tenor in Exile) on this site, a review of his work is warranted.
It bears mention that all of the previous efforts were dismissed, including Durso's tender memoir, Callincos' evocative recollections, Bernard's focus on Lanza's most troubled years, Mannering's sympathetic study of Lanza's career, Robinson's attempt, and my consideration of the tenor's life and its relationship to his meteoric rise and often erratic career. Collectively, the books present Lanza's story very well. Not so according to Mr. Cesari and his cultist supporters: this is touted as the only book worthy of description as "definitive." Bear in mind that the standard bearers for that claim include Lindsay Perigo, who has pronounced Lanza the most significant cultural force of the 20th century and the eminent Placido Domingo a mere "Lanza wannabe" (Whew!) and Derek McGovern, whose extreme attacks against those who don't abide by his obsessions about the tenor are well known. I read it knowing that and retained an open mind as it was possible that Mr. Cesari viewed the ilk with which he associated as potentially beneficial to promotion.
Despite his challenges and bluster, Cesari falls well short of an exception to reliance on the work of others. He borrows sources from Mannering while ineffectively attempting to conceal it by reference to Mannering's footnoted sources. With regard to my book, I noted (and many have commented on)Cesari's apparent use of my work as an outline to the extent of chapter segementations and development; some sections read as if paraphrased and the book often seems more the product of assembly and cobbling than original writing. There is nothing essentially wrong with that, until you consider his crude attempts to ridicule books on which he relied so heavily and surly refusals to provide acknowledgement or attribution.
The book itself is another addition to the Lanza collection, and certainly not the best or worst. It covers the same ground set forth in previous books and, in spite of the ballyhoo from the cultists, reveals nothing that is both new and accurate. For example, he alleges that Maria Callas' biggest regret was not singing with the greatest voice (Lanza's) she ever heard. The problem is that Cesari is the only writer to make such a claim and, when pressed to provide his source in a footnote, is unconvincing. Similarly, the boast from his cultist supporters and publisher that Cesari is the first writer qualified to write a biography of Lanza because of his musical acumen is unsupportable in view of the prior work by Lanza's favorite conductor, Callinicos, who trained at Juilliard and conducted at the New York City Opera. Moreover, Cesari's exhibition of musical knowledge is limited to opinions of a sort that seem rather common and, in the case of his idol, entirely subjective. For example, he makes the preposterous claim that Lanza was the most significant influence on Elvis Presley's musical development. My! And for all these years, the critics have mentioned the likes of Dean Martin, Crosby, Big Joe Turner, Howlin Wolf and gospel and r&b singers - but not Lanza. How did they miss that? And where did Cesari get it? We are seldom privy to his sources. Too often, he seems to invent whatever he needs to develop his case while discarding that which is known when inconvenient to his views.
So, we get gibberish from Barry Nelson, who briefly knew Lanza before Hollywood, as a counter to those who actualy dealt with the tenor as a film star; an unidentified "friend" of Doretta Morrow, Lanza's costar in Because You're Mine, instead of Dore Schary and others who actually worked with Lanza; Steinman, a hanger-on grateful to be misidentified as the tenor's manager instead of his actual manager, Al Teitelbaum; and, nothing from Terry Robinson, whose value as a source is assessed differently by many with none pronouncing him insignificant.
The biggest failings in the book are the author's attempts to create the myth that he and his culstist supporters wish for. Cesari belittles Caruso, Corelli, di Stefano, Tucker and others and then proceeds to pronounce Lanza their superior by default. Rather than remaining content with Lanza's considerable achievements as a film star and recording artist whose work was so convincing that he was at times thought of as an operatic star, Cesari insists on inventing a career that did not occur.
The author blames everyone associated with Lanza for his failure to achieve his considerable potential: Callinicos, film and recording studios, the critics who dismissed him or don't laud him as the greatest tenor and the public for being disinterested or interested in the wrong recordings. If people who knew Lanza declined interviews, Cesari depicts them as hiding something sinister. Worse, there are too many amateurish insinuations into the supposed mind of Lanza with Cesari pronouncing what he must have thought. The result is a cold and arrogant work wherein Mario Lanza is presented as the victim of lesser people, a group apparently comprised of everyone he met.
The author is beyond his capabilities when dealing with medical, legal and psychiatric issues, asserting that many of the tenor's difficulties were caused by stress from excessive dieting; his drinking supposedly stemmed from having to tolerate inferior conductors, managers, studio heads and promoters. Of course, the tenor is held responsible for few of his failings.
This is a book to read with considerable skepticism as it attempts to cast the wishes of rabid cultists as history. Callas and Presley didn't say those things, and no responsible biographer would present them as factual.
As for Armando Cesari and his cultist collaboraters, Attorney Welch's anguished query to Senator Joseph P. McCarthy comes to mind: "Sir, have you no shame?"
Rating:
Summary: End of Story
Review: Every Mario Lanza fan welcomes a new study of the great American tenor and "An American Tragedy" is the result of author Armando Cesari's 30-year research into Lanza's life and times. There have been six biographies written about Mario before this one, not to mention five other books that are accounts of people's personal relationship with Mario. To me despite the size of the present book, Lanza fans will surprisingly find very little new information in "An American Tragedy". This is little more than a dull re-hash of Roland Bessette's "Mario Lanza, Tenor in Exile" and Derek Mannering's "Singing To The God's", both of them far superior Lanza bios. In fact, Cesari's layout is very similar to Bessette's right down to the number and titles of the chapters.
My father Eddie Durso was Mario Lanza's closest boyhood friend and was with him every day from age 11 to 21, before the spotlight of stardom shone on him. He had firsthand knowledge of Mario's hopes and dreams, what pleased him and what caused him to be angry. Mario made his own decisions in his career and life. In hindsight anyone could say Mario should have studied with this teacher, had that conductor or this manager. The fact is that Mario Lanza during his life felt most comfortable and relaxed with the friends and musical associates he had chosen. These are the people who Mario had a mutual working relationship. To blame, trash and bash many of these people now as this author has done in this book is both arrogant and mean-spirited. Lanza's long-suffering conductor Callinicos is constantly ridiculed in the book as a mediocre musician. Terry Robinson, Lanza's best friend who was with him everyday from 1948 up to May of 1957 when Lanza departed to work in Europe and who became guardian to Lanza's children after he died, is only mentioned in passing and is not included in a single one of the book's overly generous 270 photos. That seems like bias to me, something you should not find in an intelligent biography. Cesari mistakenly identifies the soprano on Lanza's famous Student Prince RCA recordings as Gale Sherwood and not Philadelphia's own Elizabeth Doubleday. He is equally off the mark by suggesting that Lanza was put into a "twilight sleep" weight loss procedure at the Rome hospital where he died. Lanza was admitted to the Valle Giulia Clinic because he was ill, not because he wanted to lose weight. The book ends with a really strange rant against the clinic. There is no chapter reference list in this book. The discography one would expect to be the most complete and definitive is missing some of Mario's performances and is laid out in a format that has you turning back and forth to get the dates and recordings, very difficult to follow. Placido Domingo's excellent contribution should have at least been mentioned on the cover. There was a lot of anticipation for this biography of the beloved greatest natural tenor voice of the 20th Century but it was a disappointment to me. End of story.
Rating:
Summary: FAR BETTER THAN WHAT'S ALREADY BEEN PUBLISHED BEFORE!
Review: First of all, no biography is going to contain exactly what everyone wants to read - nor is everyone going to be satisfied with specific content either way, regardless of who authored it, and Mr. Cesari's book is certainly not exception. You can't satisfy everyone, nor should a writer try to. Secondly, to Lara from New York: If Royal Albert Hall, London Palladium, and Hollywood Bowl are not major venues (besides the inclusion of Carnegie Hall, these were perhaps the most prestigious major venues any artist could have hoped to play during their career back in the '40s and '50s) than I'm interested to know exactly what, in your opinion, are? Thirdly, to the author Roland Bessette: That's ironic but I was asking that same final question of you, about "having no shame," after reading your book in 1999 - and it was not because of what you were saying, but your intent on sometimes treating the Lanza story like a tabloid rag. But, to be honest, though there were things in your book I found interesting, fair, and valid - which I enjoyed. You included no more than 5 pages on Lanza's final days and sudden death when those events surely demanded a lot more attention than you provided - after all this is the one aspect of Lanza's legacy that has been subjected to the ugliest rumors over the years and you basically reduced that time period to trivial status. You had your chance and you came up somewhat short on presenting a clearer and more complete picture in your interpretation of Mario Lanza's life and and especially his death back in 1999. And that's too bad. Mr. Cesari's book - like it or not - is the type of book past Lanza's "biographers" seem quick to target more because it's the type of project they realize all too late that they could and should have offerd if they took their subject more seriously. I'll say that between this book and Derek Mannering's excellent SINGING TO THE GODS (2001) a more complete picture of Mario Lanza can easily be forged, now, more than anytime before - but like other people who've had books written about them, I'm sure the defintive story of Mario Lanza may still be waiting to be told.
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Biography
Review: Having read a number of biographies on Mario Lanza, ranging from ludicrous to fairly competent, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to discover that this is one of those rare occasions where an author has done justice to his subject. Mr. Cesari brilliantly tells the tragic story of Mario Lanza and in so doing dispels the falsehoods and myths that have been perpetuated over the years. It is a well balanced account of this "bigger than life personality" warts and all. What emerges is a touching portrait of an incredibly gifted, but flawed human being who lived almost his entire life guilt ridden for having attained world renown with his movies and recordings at the expense of an operatic career. As a reader one immediately becomes involved with the subject and wishes one could have been there to guide Lanza into making the right choices where his career was concerned. I found the final chapters, incredibly moving. Mr.Cesari lifelong study of his subject is evident in his detailed description and analysis of the ill fated singer's life. Furthermore, and vitally important, the author discusses the musical aspects of Lanza's career competently and finally sets the record straight in revaluating Lanza and rightly places him among the great voices of the century. The book is beautifully presented, it contains a CD of rare live performances together with excellent informative notes by Derek Mc Govern. It also has a complete discography and a total of 270 photos.
Rating:
Summary: Valid criticism
Review: I have read with great interest all the postings regarding Mr Cesari's book, and having read the book myself, so decided to add my voice to the throng also.
I find it incredulous that any credible author should open his own work by first attacking all who went before! Then to add insult to injury, in his reply to Mr Bessette, he as much as said that most of what Terry Robinson and Al Tietlebaum said in their biographies could be discounted! By what right? Was he himself there? I think not! However,both of the afforementioned biographers were! Can he DISPROVE with HARD evidence the 'errors' and 'fabrications' he lays at the feet of these two biographers? Itis unwise to chastise unless you can prove your point.
Now to Mr Cesari's own biography on the life of Lanza.
After heavily criticising other authors, for not providing cast iron evidence for their 'facts' and 'stories', Mr Cesari proceeds to do exactly the same! It is all very well to say, for example, Madam Callas was interviewed by Signor Giovanni Viglione in 1973, BUT, where was the interview given, when was it reported and in what media? Is there any proof either written in a publication, or on record, of this 'interview'?
Signor Viglione is himself a great Lanza fan, having attended the Ball in Philadelphia, and regularly contributing to the Ball book. Why then, was his 'interview' never heard of before now? If evidence is available of the said 'interview', why weren't details given in the credits of the book?
I find it very sad when it is necessary to 'counter attack' in this way, but unfortunately Mr Cesari brought it upon himself, by his first denegrading the works of previous authors.
Maybe he should go back and read what he wrote as a critique of Mr Bessette's book to refresh his memory as to why Mr Bessette has the perfect right to come back at him as he does with valid criticism.
As for Mr Bessette's claims as to what Mr Perigo said about Placido Domingo, I recall vividly Perigo posting on a Lanza forum calling Mr Domingo 'a squawker' and a 'Lanza wannabe'.
This sort of name calling does nothing at all for the legacy of Mario Lanza, and he would have abhorred it totally. Lanza is the loser in this whole debacle, and the sooner Mr Cesari and his 'followers' realise this the better.
Finally, the book is good in parts, but it is definitely marred by the author's arrogance and assumption that no one can write a decent biography of a musician unless they understand music themselves. If this were true, then an awful lot of authors works on all the musical greats over many years is tantamount to rubbish! Mario Lanza was much more than a great musician, he was a magnetic and exciting personality, with a God given voice, and you don't have to be have a degree in music to know or write about that!
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