Mario Lanza - Serenade by Toselli

A wonderful pairing of Mario's operatic voice with an operatic-like song, this song really shows off Mario's beautiful voice.

Toselli's Serenade is from Mario's O Sole Mio album. The original Italian song: Serenata (Rimpianto), the music is by Enrico Toselli, and the lyrics are by Alfredo Silvestri. "He composed a number of songs, of which the Serenata 'Rimpianto' Op.6 No.1 was the most popular. He also wrote two operettas, La cattiva Francesca (1912) and La principessa bizzarra (1913)." (Above quote is from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_T....
Below, find the original Italian and its English translation for this touching song..
Come un sogno d'or Like a golden dream
scolpito è nel core carved in the heart
Il ricordo ancor' di quell'amor The memory still of that love
che non esiste più that no longer exists.
Fu la sua vision It was your face,
qual dolce sorriso that sweet smile,
che più lieta fa, that makes it happier,
col suo brillar, la nostra gioventù with its brilliance, our youth.

Ma fu molto breve in me But, it was very short with me.
la dolcezza di quel ben svani The sweetness which so well vanished
quel bel sogno d'or that beautiful golden dream.
lasciando in me il dolor. Leaving me in pain.

Cupo è l'avvenir sempre più tristi Gloomy is the future, always sadder.
i di la gioventù passata The day of past youth gone by.
sarà rimpianto It will be regretted.
mi resta sol Only there remains to me,
sì rimpianto amaro e duol' nel cor! bitter regret and pain in my heart.

Oh raggio di sole Oh, sunshine
Sul mio cammino ahimè non brii li più On my path, alas, does not shine any more.
Mai più, mai più No more, no more.

Toselli married the former Crown Princess of Saxony, Her Imperial and Royal Highness the Archduchess Luise, Princess of Tuscany in 1907. The marriage only lasted about four years. Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_T... for more information.

The photos of Mario are from his film The Great Caruso which is available for purchase from Turner Classic Movies as are his other films.

The artists of the paintings shown are listed in the order of their appearance in the video:
1) Carl Fredrik Aagaard (1833 - 1895) - The Rose Garden
2) Artist unknown -- title unknown
3) Eduard Niczky (1850-1919) - The Thread Of Love
4) Richard Borrmeister (1876-1938) - Lovers' Tryst
5) Charles Edward Perugini (1839 - 1918) -- Fair Reflection
6) William Merritt Chase (1849 -- 1916) -- title unknown
7) Gustave Jean Jacquet (1846-1909) - A Coquettish Smile
8) Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769 -- 1830) -- Portrait of Elizabeth
9) Auguste Toulmouche (1829 -- 1890) - An Elegant Beauty
10) Gustave-Jean Jacquet (1846 -- 1909) -- Portrait of a Young Woman, 1874
11) Tiziano Vecellio (Titian) (1488 -- 1576) - Portrait of a Young Man, c. 1515-20
12) Artist unknown -- portrait of a young man
13) Albert Edelfelt (1854-1905) - Idylli, 1878
14) Lorenzo Lotto (c. 1480 -- 1556) -- Leonino Brembate (Man with the Golden Paw), c. 1527
15) Victor Gabriel Gilbert (1847 - 1935) -- Picking Flowers
16) Eugen von Blaas (1843 -- 1932) - Girl in a Lilac-Colored Dress
17) Albert Edelfelt (1854 - 1905)- Under the Birches, 1881
18) Giorgione (Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco c. 1478 -- 1510) - Double Portrait (detail), c. 1502
19) John Singer Sargent (1856 - 1925) - A Morning Walk
20) Walter Dendy Sadler (1854 - 1923) - The Lovers' Walk (detail)
21) Claude Monet (1840 -- 1926) -- Woman with White Dress
22) George Cochran Lambdin (1830-1896) Sunset Musings 1887
23) Nicolas Lancret (1690 -- 1743) - The Swing
24) Carlo Maratta (1625 -- 1713) - A Young Man
25) Nicolas Lancret 1690 - 1743), - La Camargo Dancing 1730
26) Gustave-Jean Jacquet (1846 - 1909) -- A Rare Beauty
27) Thomas Sully (1783-1872) - Lady with Harp (Eliza Ridgely), 1818
28) George Hamilton Barrable (? -- 1887) -- Song Without Words
29) Florent Willems (1823-1905) - title unknown