MARIO PADOVANI 

A Letter to your Heart" is the incredible debut album from MARIO PADOVANI. It has been a long time since the world has heard a voice like this. Remember the days when Freddie Mercury ruled the airwaves with that huge soaring voice and remember the days when it was OK to sing about LOVE. Well those days are back. 

Mario Padovani is not your average new independent artist. He is a true master of the voice, melody and soul. He writes ballads that truly touch the soul and make you want to weep with sadness and joy. He uses traditional instruments like the sax, piano and guitar and his music oozes with class, style and emotion. 

This outstanding album features the catchy sing-a-long single " A Letter to your Heart" ( with that irresistible sax and epic chorus ) and the amazing melodic heartfelt ballad " It Would be so easy". There are also some tear jerking ballads on this album that will truly move you like " Love of my Life" and " The Lonely One". 

Mario Padovani will captivate listeners and audiences for years to come with his touching, soulful, epic ballads and incredibly powerful voice. Love and the loss of it never sounded so good. ( Dale Olivier 2004 ) 

SOME HISTORY  

An artist that defies topical description only comes along every so often. Mario Padovani is one such artist. Very rare is the musician and songwriter that is equally at home in romantic, piano-laced pop, that, in the blink of an eye can easily switch to epic ballads of passion and loss, all the while never straying far from his training in the operatic arena. An anomaly with over a decade of training in both classical music and jazz, and a background of playing in rock & roll bands in his youth, Mario Padovani brings several musical elements in a rare and successful blend on his debut album, "A Letter To Your Heart".

Eleven epic tracks of love and loss await the listener, an eclectic mix of adult themes and accessible pop arrangements. While "A Letter To Your Heart" is a mature piece of contemporary pop, any listener would be able to relate to the obvious emotion and feeling Padovani brings to his passionate vocals, and his thoughtful lyrics. This album is a journey, bringing the listener through Padovani's world through eleven cycles of heartache and regret, and the very real feelings that often come with a broken heart.

From the tender age of five, Mario Padovani has devoted his life to song, studying opera and jazz, mastering many instruments, along the way working as a session vocalist, classical voice instructor, opera singer, rock & roll frontman, and many other guises that have all helped Padovani master the many musical elements heard in his songs - (William Byron 2004 )

THE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW 

Dale Olivier met the man himself 

1. What made you decide to take up music as a career ? Tell us a bit about your life and musical history ?

There actually was never a conscious decision to take up music as a career. I believe that music chose me long before I chose music. To tell you about my life and music I would have to go back nine years before my birth. The great tenor, Mario Lanza, passed away in 1959 at the terribly young age of 38. My father was and is a great admirer of Lanza and prayed every night from the time of Lanza's death until my birth that one day he woud have a son who could sing like the great tenor. Nine years later I was born. My father knew in his heart that I was the answer to his years of prayer and so I was named after Lanza. I had a passion for singing even at the young age of five and began formal studies at age 7. With the passing years the passion for music grew. By age 9 I was playing piano and guitar. At age 11 I began composing . It also at this time that I began a serious study of harmony, counterpoint and orchestration with the guidance of my voice teacher at the time and my mentor for my lifetime, Henry Kerr Williams.

2. Who or what are your influences?

The list of my influences could go on forever but a brief list would include: Mario Lanza, Enrico Caruso, Jan Pierce, Robert Merrill, Ezio Pinza, Tony Bennet, Frankie Laine, Nat King Cole, Al Martino, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Les Paul, Puccini, Verdi, Chopin, Beethoven, the great American composers such as Rogers, Hart, Kern, and last but not at all least Italy's beautiful folk songs especially the songs of Naples. There are countless artists from so many eras and genres that it would be impossible to even scratch the surface.


3. What modern artists do you rate?

I'm really quite ashamed to say that I'm not very familiar with many of today's artists. In recent years I have followed a number of female artists and I am a big fan of Sarah Mclachlan.

4. If you could choose to record a song with any other artist/band alive or dead who would it be and why?


In the words of Robert Plant, "John Bonham. John Henry Bonham." I don't think that I could even begin to tell you the reasons why. There was never a drummer like Bonham and I don't there ever will be again. It may seem a bit bizarre choice considering my style but Led Zeppelin was an incredible influence. That influence may not be noticeable but along with Mario Lanza they were my musical heroes. 

5. What inspires you to write your music ?

Love and only love. But love is such a big word and one that many say can be overused. The truth of the matter is that the word isn't used enough nor is it understood. Ultimately, it is love in it's many forms that drives our lives. 

6. Name your all time fave song/artist ie: desert island disc ?

That is such a difficult question. It always amazes me that someone can provide an answer to it. But if I have to chose one and only one it would be Malotte's musical setting of "The Lord's Prayer" sung by Mario Lanza. That recording is what introduced me to music and it has seen me through some of the worst times of my life. To hear the prayer set to the most beautiful music I've ever heard and sung with all the beauty and passion of Lanza's voice is simply a spiritually moving experience and one which I cannot describe. It can only be felt in one's heart and soul.


7. You have a timeless and classic pop sound and extremely strong songs. What instruments do you use ? Where do you record your material ?

Thank you. My parents and siblings introduced me to a very wide variety of musical artists and styles as I was growing up. When I began writing songs around the age of 11 I wasn't looking to create songs in a certain style. I simply wanted to be able to write a beautiful and passionate songs. That philosophy has stayed with me in my writing. When I began recording the songs for "A Letter to Your Heart" it was really for the purpose of seeking solace from the pain of my divorce in 1998. There were no plans for a CD release in the beginning. Because of that I went into the studio with a very open mind and let the songs themselves direct me where they wanted to go in terms of production. It was a very emotional time and I believe it comes across in the music. I use a variety of instruments in the recording of my music. I try to use live drums and bass whenever possible. Without giving too much away for many of my strings, pads, synth bass and miscellaneous synth textures I use several pieces by Roland including the D-50 and JV-880. I also like to layer up guitar sounds ala Brian May. The melodic hook in the chorus of "It Would Be So Easy" is often mistaken for strings. It is actually 28 guitars which I layered up using different timbres, tape speeds and harmonies and glew it all in at the appropriate places. I also played mandolin on this track.. The lush background vocals on the CD are all sung by your's truly and recorded using similar fly-in techniques as the guitars. My current CD, "A Letter to Your Heart" was recorded at Target Recording Studios, USA with Marc Moss engineering and mixing.

8. What are your ambitions for your music. Where do you see yourself in the future ?

I've always had big ideas and big goals musically. To me it has always seemed like the only practical way to dedicate your life to music. One must think big if one wishes to accomplish great things. I am lucky in that I have been able to support myself from music for a number of years now. God has blessed me with the gift of music and I can only be at peace with myself and the world if I share that gift. It's difficult to say where I see myself in the future as tomorrow isn't promised to any of us. The future is a gift and one which we can only hope to have the opportunity to unwrap like a Christmas present each morning. But I do hope that I will realize my dreams of being a successful and internationally known recording artist, songwriter and performer. But most of all I hope that no matter what the future brings that I am always surrounded by the love of my family and friends. And perhaps if I'm lucky enough to be able to live out my life with that special someone I so love and cherish. I know I speak of family, friends and the love of one's life and everyone may be asking, "What the hell does this have to do with music?" to which I reply, "Everything!" So many artists say that their art is their life. They are fooling themselves. One of the great lessons I learned from my mentor, Henry Kerr Williams, is that one's art is a reflection of one's life. If you desire for your art to be filled with love, passion and beauty then your life must be filled with those same things.

9. How would you describe your music and what genre do you think it fits into ?

I would describe my music as passionate and romantic. I believe that the music industry has become too concerned with the categorizing music into specific genres. I believe it limits the creative scope and accessibility of so many great artists. If I chose to categorize myself In terms of genre I feel my music fits into melodic adult contemporary pop

10. We have heard rumours that you can also sing opera ala Pavarotti etc. Is this true ? Were you trained or did you teach yourself ?

I am a formally trained operatic tenor. As I previously mentioned I was named after Mario Lanza. Lanza, in my mind, was the greatest voice that God has ever shared with the world. A voice unlike anything I've heard. Such beauty. Powerful and yet sweet and so passionate as though every note would be his last. I was born with a hypothalamic hamartoma, a rare brain tumor which though benign was the cause of very early physical maturation. When I was five years old my father would drive me to school every morning. He began teaching me Malotte's musical setting of "The Lord's Prayer." I had asked why he wanted me to learn this and he replied that I was named after the greatest tenor of all time, Mario Lanza. I began listening to all of the recordings of the great tenor every day after school. One day I told my father that I knew "The Lord's Prayer." He said that he knew because he taught it to me. I said, "No, I know it like Mario Lanza knows it." I sang it and he had to stop the car. Already, the voice was of operatic size and quality. I began vocal studies with Jaqueline Beach Falcon at age seven. At age eleven I began my studies in Philadelphia Pennsylvania with Henry Kerr Williams, the man who would become my musical mentor for the next 12 years and who is still an inspiration to me. At the age of twelve I made my debut with the Matinee Musical Club of Philadelphia singing a recital of Italian art songs and operatic arias. I recently recorded the "Ave Maria" for a Christmas compilation, "Let Them Know It's Christmas" to raise money for Toys for Tots. There are plans to do more recordings in the operatic style in the very near future.


11. Apparently you are a vocal tutor in your spare time . How did that come about ? Do you teach any artists we would know ?

I teach voice and piano professionally. Like many musicians in order to support myself I took up teaching music. It is a wonderful feeling to pass on to my students the knowledge and passion that my teachers have shared with me. I have some wonderfully talented students of all ages and styles. I have also had the pleasure of working with Matchbox Recordings LTD artist, William Byron of The Drown.

CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL SITE NOW