Singer Moreno Fruzzetti at Sachem Library

Moreno Fruzzetti describes himself as "The Ambassador of Italian Music to America."

On Sunday, Oct. 3, he was the first attraction of Sachem Public Library's "Celebrate Italian Heritage Month" and he played to a packed house.  In fact, additional seating had to be set up in the back of the auditorium to accommodate the large and appreciative crowd. 

Fruzzetti is an engaging performer. He has a manner about him that elicits comments from people in the audience between musical numbers.  Some of the older women weren't the least bit shy about expressing their love and admiration for him, while men in the audience were equally vocal about suggesting what his next number should be. Fruzzetti seemed to enjoy this and even struck a few poses during his songs to accommodate people with cameras. 

The singer's repertoire was a bit puzzling, though.  As this program was to initiate a month celebrating Italian Heritage, one was a bit confused by his decision to include songs like "Unchained Melody," "Granada," and "I Did It My Way," which actually have French origins. 

He also included many classical and popular Italian numbers.  Oddly enough, when an audience member requested that he perform "Mala Femmina,"Fruzzetti joked that he wouldn't sing that because it was "too old."  Yet later in the program her performed a touching version of Gaetano Donizetti's  "Una Furtiva Lagrima" from L'ElISIR D'AMORE which premiered in 1832. 

It was one of the many inconsistencies in Fruzzetti's banter, which often consisted of jokes that fell flat the first time but were repeated later on to even lesser effect.  The people in attendance didn't seem to mind, though.  They were too busy eating out of the palm of his Tuscan hand.

There was a certain amount of audience participation in the afternoon's events.  They were cued to provide cheering to simulate the "ole's" in a Spanish number and happily sang along with him in "Vola vola."

One of the oddest moments in the concert came when Fruzzetti performed "Va Pernsiero" from Giuseppi Verdi's beloved opera NABUCCO.  If you ask Italian Americans to identify that piece, many of them will probably say it's Italy's national anthem. 

It's not, but it well could be.  The lyric roughly translates to "Fly thoughts on wings of gold" and is a sweet lullaby sung by Hebrew slaves hoping for their freedom.  In Fruzzetti's rendition, it was anything but a lullaby.  Performed to a heavily percussive arrangement, the choral masterpiece could probably wake the dead rather than lulling anyone into slumber.

That aside, Fruzzetti saved the best for last with his rendition of "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's last (and unfinished) opera TURANDOT.  Vocally he was on-target in this piece and he hit all the money notes to great (and cheering) effect.  As the crowd was leaving, more than just a few people were heard either humming or whistling the tune that was a hallmark of Luciano Pavarotti's concert appearances.

There's more Italian culture to be found at the Sachem Library Monday night (Oct. 4) when author Mark Rotella discusses his book Amore: The Story of Italian American Song.