MY ROMANCE New BMG Mario Lanza CD Release January 2001       By Derek Mannering 12-6-00       I am delighted to announce details of another Mario Lanza CD, "My Romance", which is scheduled for release by BMG/RCA on January 9, 2001. This is a Valentines Day collection of 21 classic love songs including one previously unreleased track. Some months ago when Jeff decided to drop the Coke "All the Things You Are" from his fabulous CD I told him that I would try to 'rescue' it for a possible BMG release of my own. That rescue came sooner than expected and the lovely Jerome Kern song is now the opening track on this forthcoming CD.   None of the other songs are new to Compact Disc - that sort of compilation will have to wait for another day - but all have been digitally spruced up for this release. As you will see from the following list, it is a stellar collection.   All The Things You Are (previously unreleased); A Kiss; The Song Is You; Where Or When; Love Is The Sweetest Thing; I'll See You Again; Night And Day; Your Eyes Have Told Me So; They Didn't Believe Me; If I Loved You; Only A Rose (Henri RenÈ version); You And The Night And The Music; Sylvia; On The Street Where You Live; Fools Rush In; Beautiful Love; I've Got You Under My Skin; Long Ago And Far Away; You Are Love; I'll Be Seeing You; My Romance   The CD booklet also contains a photograph of the beautiful Mario Lanza Rose. I had the privilege of attending the launch of the flower at the Hampton Court Flower Show just outside London last summer as a guest of the British Mario Lanza Society. The rose breeder, Colin Horner, gave me a photograph of the flower, which I then sent to BMG for possible use on a future Lanza CD. Once again, the opportunity to run with this presented itself sooner than any one expected. The rose is also featured on the back tray of the disc, though the color here has been tinted to blend in with the design on the packaging.   "My Romance" was my original title choice for the "When Day Is Done" collection, one that I had had to abandon when JosÈ Carreras used it for one of his CDs. It is so nice now to be able to claim it back for Mario! And yes, the title track is the same as the version on the "When Day Is Done" CD, though without the spoken introduction.   Jeff's new release "I'll See You in My Dreams", which I had the privilege of making a small contribution to, is simply one of the very best Lanza CDs ever compiled. It's a fabulous collection of some of Lanza's best and rarest recordings backed up by the finest Lanza CD booklet I have ever seen. With "My Romance" I am pleased now to be able to add one more beautiful CD to the ever-expanding Lanza catalog.   - DEREK MANNERING           BACK TO MARIO MAIN PAGE