The True Story of an Amazing Piece of Music

And how it came to be such a formidable composition and performance.

Giacomo Puccini began working on Nessun Dorma in 1920, and one theory is that the opera is a response to the upheavals of World War I. The opera is set in the world of Turandot, which is a place of cruelty and horror, but love still exists within it. The title of the aria translates to “None shall sleep”.

I still have to listen to the entire song without losing it. It's either bawling or giving me the highest goosebumps ever—usually both.

It's also an excellent test to know whether you have a heart that contains the feels or not. Psychopaths need not apply.

The aria is about a hero named Calaf who is one of three suitors for Princess Turandot. Calaf challenges Turandot to guess his name, and if she guesses correctly, she can execute him. If she guesses incorrectly, she must marry him. The princess decides that no one in the kingdom can sleep until Calaf's name is discovered. The aria is located in the opera's final act. 

"Nessun dorma" is one of the best-known tenor arias in all opera. The Swedish tenor Jussi Björling regularly sang "Nessun Dorma" as his big encore number, and Mario Lanza gave a vigorous Hollywood rendition of the aria in the film Serenade in 1956. 

After Pavarotti’s, the one I posted below from Jonas Kaufmann is my favourite. The song requires such strength to perform; you can see the unbelievable release of energy at the very end, as the singer reaches its climax.

And what a climax that is.

I wonder how many crooners, troubadours, and assorted performers have decided to take a chance and study opera singing.

Surely, if an act like this doesn't cut it, nothing ever will.

It's not just technique or a great pair of lungs. It's raw emotion, courage, and soul.

There's no way you're the same person after that performance. It's so invigorating that you can plainly see it on the artist's faces. I could venture as far as to say your life has been extended by years.

Their ecstasy is evident, and lucky are the ones who can see it performed live. You'll never forget it.

The performance, live from Berlin: https://youtu.be/-SpKFkjlO8Y?feature=shared

The Lyrics in Italian:

Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma!

Tu pure, o, Principessa,

nella tua fredda stanza,

guardi le stelle

che tremano d'amore

e di speranza.

Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me,

il nome mio nessun saprà!

No, no, sulla tua bocca lo dirò

quando la luce splenderà!

Ed il mio bacio scioglierà il silenzio

che ti fa mia!

(Il nome suo nessun saprà!...

e noi dovrem, ahime, morir!)

Dilegua, o notte!

Tramontate, stelle!

Tramontate, stelle!

All'alba vincerò!

vincerò, vincerò!

~o~

Interesting related trivia:

• Nessun Dorma is an aria from the Puccini opera Turandot. The opera premiered in 1926 at La Scala in Milan, but Puccini died of throat cancer before finishing it, so a student completed it.

• Puccini wrote the aria for the character Calaf, who was intended to be sung by a tenor. However, many pop and crossover singers and instrumentalists have performed the aria, including Jussi Björling, Mario Lanza, and Luciano Pavarotti.

• The aria’s lyrics translate to “Vanish, o night, set stars, at dawn, I will win!” .

• The sustained “Vinceeeeero” note in the aria’s climax is a B4, a semitone below the tenor high C. This note is considered a crowning moment in opera and a make-or-break note for the piece.

• The BBC used Pavarotti’s 1972 “Nessun Dorma” recording to open its coverage of the 1990 World Cup in Italy, making the aria an icon for singers worldwide.

• In 1998, Aretha Franklin sang a version of the aria in place of Pavarotti at the Grammy Awards after Pavarotti withdrew due to throat problems.

• The melody of “Nessun Dorma” was borrowed from Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne's 1989 song “A Love So Beautiful.” The band Manowar also featured a version of the aria on their 2002 album Warriors of the World.

  ~∆~

To my musicians friends:

The original key of Nessun Dorma is G major. The high notes in the tenor range are the B, which is written as a sixteenth note, and the A, which is a whole note. 

~∆~

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