Can you believe there was actually a time when the American public tuned in to see and hear a performance of such superb quality? Can you further believe they now tune into, and are entertained, by the likes of programs like "American Idol?" We've lost something of ourselves, something wonderful.
@@melaniemansfield3319 he was on the older sider side i agree but ref says After his Met farewell, Pinza embarked on a second career in Broadway musicals. In April 1949, he appeared in Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, originating the role of French planter Emile de Becque. His highly expressive performance of the hit song "Some Enchanted Evening" made Pinza a matinée idol and a national celebrity. In 1950, he received a Tony Award for best lead actor in a musical.so it was highly regarded even at his age
What a stroke of genius on the part of Rodgers and Hammerstein to see that juxtaposing the Broadway voice of Martin as Nellie with the operatic voice of Pinza as Emile, is the virtual signature of the show musically. Bravo to Rodgers for understanding how to balance these seemingly irreconcilable voice types.
@@absdyna they weren’t even heading into the 70s and 80s. Sondheim made sure of that. The turn towards a more contemporary sound really only started in the 90s.
This is from the General Foods 25th anniversary show salute to Rodgers and Hammerstein.The show was done live in 1954 when Pinza was 62, 5 years after he created this role on Broadway. Still sung magnificently and the benchmark for this song.
My maternal grandparents (who lived upstairs from us) had the score this on the old 78's. Sometimes, when I was upstairs, my grandfather would ask me to play this particular song sung as solo by Mr. Pinza. It brings back many good memories!!
That was truly one of the most outstanding performances by two amazing stars from the American stage. Thank you for uploading this video. I love Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza's voices.
How precious are these few moments of Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza together. Thank goodness for the superb taste of the networks in the 1950's. They set a magical bar that lives in legend.
This is how a man shows that he loves a woman. For me, being in love with a woman who makes my world whole, this shows almost what I feel in never wanting to let somone go. The performance of Ezio truly emcompassing what it feels like to love a woman.
I think it's not falsetto but full conected very good placed light sound, sing lightly natural E for bass singer it's not easy, but he had done it perfectly.
@@micharomanowski3824 *Quite correct* ( *The great 'Frankie Valli' is often described as 'falsetto-voiced' when in fact his voice has no falsetto at all, although I assume in early years he could've 'reached' for it had he wanted to* )
The originals and no one ever topped them. I've seen countless productions and Pinza and Martin simply could not be equaled. Part of it is neither of them had perfect movie star looks and so visually were believable. Part of it is the contrast of his Metropolitan Opera voice and her crisp but modest soprano. Part of it simply is chemistry. Both had not idea of what they were doing would work. Obviously, it did.
From Wikipedia: Ezio Fortunato Pinza (May 18, 1892 - May 9, 1957) was an Italian opera singer. Pinza possessed a rich, smooth and sonorous voice, with a flexibility unusual for a bass. He spent 22 seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera, appearing in more than 750 performances of 50 operas. At the San Francisco Opera, Pinza sang 26 roles during 20 seasons from 1927 to 1948. Pinza also sang to great acclaim at La Scala, Milan and at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London. After retiring from the Met in 1948, Pinza enjoyed a fresh career on Broadway in musical theatre, most notably in South Pacific, in which he created the role of Emile de Becque. He also appeared in several Hollywood films.
I grew up on Broadway soundtracks. There have been many renditions of "Some Enchanted Evening" that are wonderful and beautiful but nothing does it for me like Ezio Pinza hitting that high note. Thank you for posting this original with him and Mary Martin. No dubbed voices needed here!
an unforced voice is not that loud in the near, the voice is growing in the room (if it has a good acoustic). A forcing opera sing in your near is horrible and annoying.
His voice is both powerful, and tender at the same time. The message is one of honesty, plain and simple. My favorite line is "Fools give you reasons, wise men never try". I think that still holds true, when you peel away the game playing and excuses, a wise man will just give his heart and not try to use reason to sway the outcome one way or the other. I wish more people could appreciate how there is so little time! Go find your love and never let her go...
I grew up with high fidelity, stereo, a piano, and many LPs, pieces of sheet music, and of course heard Rogers and Hammerstein. However, one day in the 80s I was driving my Honda, just a regular car radio, and Ezio's solo of this came over the radio. I managed to drive, somehow, while absolutely transported by his voice, his phrasing, and the orchestra. Magic, and over a standard Honda car radio. When he stopped singing, I was safely parked in my grocery store parking lot, wiping away tears.
What an extraordinary voice and artistry in Ezio Pinza. For that kind of pure power and technique to be so musical, melodious and expressive is hard to fathom. He even sings pianissimo and diminuendo - the soft, middle notes and the closed, almost whispering finishes. For a great treat, listen to his "Ombra Mai Fu" - there's nothing like it in all of opera. Absolutely sublime everything he did.
This is my favourite song in South Pacific sung by Ezio Pinza, maybe because it was the first rendition i heard of it, although Giorgio Tozzi did a fine job in the movie, this will always always have a very strong effect on me after all these many years.
From the first time I heard this on a long play vinyl record, this has remained my favorite song, or aria, from my most beloved Broadway musical, South Pacific. It makes me cry at age 67.
My father and I saw South Pacific on Broadway.We went again the next day. Some Enchanted Evening was my father's favorite song, Strong memory of that experience for a 7 year old. Bravo Ezio and Mary !
This is the real deal. All other singers are just covering this great song--expert though they may be. Pinza just doesn't sing this song technically well--he gets to the heart of this song--he OWNS it. Magnificent.
Thank You John P. for sharing ! I love the video ecspecially that I was in the play in 1949 with Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza ! ( Jerome ) Robert Cortazal
The message conveyed can only be appreciated by someone with a depth of personality! How unfortunate that so few people are not hearing this masterpiece and the priceless advice it offers .
The list of qualities of this great Artist would be long: here I will limit myself to mentioning the masterful, fabulous "pianissimo" that closes this beautiful interpretation.
Wow...a great performance but both were a little past the ages for these roles. This is the first music I remember. My mom had this album and by the age of 5 I knew the score by heart.
Wonderfully sung; one of those songs that turned my attention to Broadway music. The song reminds me of my first meeting with my wife 41 years ago. She was standing in a crowded building hall in the Wall Street area.
a live vocal performance, in many small ways quite different from that on the original cast album; every bit as wonderful and even more "alive." But each time I hear but the first notes of Pinza singing this great love song, I am startled as if for the first time, by the indescribable beauty of his voice!
eoselan7 Yes forgive me but he is more outstanding to me than Mary Martin. To me, the gold standard is Mitzie Gaynor’s interpretation. But Ezio? What a hunk and what a voice. Oh he is dreamy
This is closer to the novel, which isn't very romantic. In this love story, there's an element of uncertainty; she's a nurse from a small town a loooooonnnnggg way from home and he's a widower on this island. He doesn't think he's good-looking enough for her, but he's desperately lonely and she's got nobody and they just fall for each other. It makes you think it could happen to you too.
When I was eight (1950] my grandmother took me to a matinee performance. I remember that I couldn't get over a woman washing her hair while on stage. When watching this sole surviving clip of the two leads, the memories came rushing back.
@waynebrasler Agreed. No one has ever topped them. Sixty years later, their performance remains one of the most memorable performances I have ever seen. I was just eleven or twelve when I saw them, but they were captivating. I knew that when I grew up I would marry her and sing like him. Lol.
I think this needs a date, which was 1954 for a TV show, five years after Pinza created the role of deBecque on Broadway and became the hit of the show. He was 62 when he did this TV performance, and this is the only example of a live performance from the original broadway stars
I've been trying to find this video of Pinza and Martin, as it's so rare to see a "live" performance of these two, I know this is from a TV show, but how wonderful to see it reenacted from the show. That kiss was a real show stopper. Absolutely love Pinza, what a voice!
I remember when this show opened in London when I was a lad. A special hairstyle had been created for Mary Martin to enable her to ' wash that man right out of her hair ' every performance . The style was known as the ' bubble cut ' and was copied by many young girls
Pinza tried and tried to win over Anna Lisa Bjorling the wife of the legendary tenor Jussi Bjorling. He called at their hotel on numerous occasions while Jussi was at the New York Met during rehearsals. He sent tickets for a performance of South Pacific to which she attended. She felt very uneasy as Pinza sung Some Enchanted Evening directly at her.
Thanks so much for responding! I appreciate that. That is too bad, huh? It's so exciting to see even this much of it though.. Thank you so much for uploading it! Take care :)
EP had already had a successful career as an opera singer, and was preparing for retirement. Then he was offered the part in SP. He wasn't too sure because musical theatre, as opposed to classical performance wasn't what he was used to. His wife persuaded him to accept the role it.
Superb voice of ezio pinza. Rich and deep and powerful. A perfect pairing with the great Mary Martin, Broadway's shining light. If there is a match for Julie Andrew's on the broadway stage it was this fabulous star. Free and natural and straight from the heart. As many people know not only was she Peter Pan but also Maria von Trapp in sound of music and Eliza Dolittle in My fair lady. A consummate performer who in the words of this beautiful song could fly to your side and make you her own. My dream casting would have Julie Andrew's, Mary Martin and the incomparable Lea Salonga in the same production. The three greatest musical stars ever to grace a stage.
