Nessun Dorma (None Shall Sleep) is an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot,^[1] and is one of the best known tenor arias in all opera. It is sung by Calaf, Il principe ignoto (The unknown prince), who falls in love at first sight with the beautiful but cold Princess Turandot. However, any man who wishes to wed Turandot must first answer her three riddles. If he fails, he will be beheaded. An aria (Italian for air; plural: arie or arias in common usage) in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. ... Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (December 22, 1858 – November 29, 1924) was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, and Madama Butterfly, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire. ... For other uses, see Opera (disambiguation). ... For the opera by Ferruccio Busoni, see Turandot (Busoni). ... This article is about Tenor vocalists in music. ...

In the previous act, Calaf has correctly answered the three riddles put to all of Princess Turandot's prospective suitors. Nevertheless, she recoils at the thought of marriage to him. Calaf offers her another chance by challenging her to guess his name by dawn. (As he kneels before her, the 'Nessun Dorma' theme makes a first appearance, to his words Il mio nome non sai!.) If she does so, she can execute him, but if she does not, she must marry him. The cruel and emotionally cold princess then decrees that none of her subjects is to sleep that night until his name is discovered. If they fail, all will be killed.

As the final act opens, it is now night. Calaf is alone in the moonlit palace gardens. In the distance he hears Turandot's heralds proclaiming her command. His aria begins with an echo of their cry and a reflection on Princess Turandot:

"Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma! Tu pure, o Principessa, nella tua fredda stanza, guardi le stelle che tremano d'amore, e di speranza!"

(English translation: "None shall sleep! None shall sleep! Even you, o Princess, in your cold bedroom, watch the stars that tremble with love and with hope")

"Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me; il nome mio nessun saprà! No, No! Sulla tua bocca lo dirò quando la luce splenderà!"

(English translation: "But my secret is hidden within me; none will know my name! No, no! On your mouth I will say it when the light shines!")

"Ed il mio bacio scioglierà il silenzio che ti fa mia!"

(English translation: "And my kiss will dissolve the silence that makes you mine!")

Just before the climactic end of the aria, a chorus of women is heard singing in the distance:

"Il nome suo nessun saprà... E noi dovrem, ahimè, morir, morir!"

(English translation: "No one will know his name... and we will have to, alas, die, die!")

Calaf, now certain of victory, sings:

"Dilegua, o notte! Tramontate, stelle! Tramontate, stelle! All'alba vincerò! Vincerò! Vincerò!"

(English translation: "Vanish, o night! Set, stars! Set, stars! At daybreak I shall win! I shall win! I shall win!")

In performance, the final "Vincerò!" features a sustained B4, followed by the final note, an A4 sustained even longer, although Puccini's score did not explicitly specify that the note be sustained. ^[2] These are two of the highest notes in the tenor range. Human voices may be classified according to their vocal range — the highest and lowest pitches that they can produce. ...

In Alfano's completion of Act 3, the 'Nessun Dorma' theme makes a final triumphal appearance at the end of the opera. The theme also makes a concluding reappearance in Berio's later completion (this having been an expressed intention of Puccini's) but in a more subdued orchestration.

Cultural resonance outside opera

Nessun dorma achieved pop status after Luciano Pavarotti's recording of it was used as the theme song of the BBC television coverage of the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. It subsequently reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart, the highest placing ever by a classical recording. ^[3] Popular culture (or pop culture) is the widespread cultural elements in any given society that are perpetuated through that societys vernacular language or lingua franca. ... Luciano Pavarotti performing on June 15, 2002 at a concert in the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille Luciano Pavarotti, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI[1] (October 12, 1935 – September 6, 2007) was a celebrated Italian tenor in operatic music, who successfully crossed into popular music becoming one of the most... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... The 1990 FIFA World Cup, the 14th staging of the World Cup, was held in Italy from June 8 to July 8. ... “British Hit Singles” redirects here. ...

It went on to become both Pavarotti's signature aria and a sporting anthem in its own right, especially for soccer.^[4] Pavarotti sang Nessun dorma at his final performance, the finale of the Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics, although it was later revealed that he had lip-synched the performance.^[5] His Decca recording of the aria was played at his funeral during the flypast by the Italian Air Force. ^[6] “Soccer” redirects here. ... The Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics (Torino 2006) was held on February 10, 2006 beginning at 20:00 CET (19:00 UTC) at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin, Italy. ... It has been suggested that Decca Music Group be merged into this article or section. ... The Red Arrows and Concorde conclude a special flypast over Buckingham Palace on 4 June, 2002 celebrating the Queens Golden Jubilee. ...

Nessun Dorma has also been used in many films, often appearing at a central moment in the film, sometimes with the aria's moment of musical resolution aligned with the film's narrative climax, giving the aria's rich emotional impact symbolic meaning. This use in film has added to the cultural resonance of the aria outside of opera. Films in which the aria is used include: The Island, The Killing Fields, Mar adentro, The Sum of All Fears, No Reservations, The Mirror Has Two Faces, Chasing Liberty, Man on Fire, Bend it like Beckham, Toys,^[7] The Witches of Eastwick, and the short film of the same name by Ken Russell included in the 1987 film, Aria. Resolution in western tonal music theory is the need for a sounded note and/or chord to move from a dissonance or unstable sound to a more final or stable sounding one, a consonance. ... The climax (or turning point) of a narrative work is its point of highest tension or drama in which the solution is given. ... The Island is a 2005 science fiction film directed by Michael Bay and starring Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson. ... The Killing Fields (1984) is an award-winning dramatic British film based on the experiences of the journalists Dith Pran, who survived the Khmer Rouge regime, Sydney Schanberg, and Jon Swain. ... Mar adentro (English title: The Sea Inside) is a 2004 film by the Chilean-Spanish director Alejandro Amenábar, written by Mateo Gil and Amenábar. ... The Sum of All Fears is a 2002 American film directed by Phil Alden Robinson, and based on the book of the same name by Tom Clancy. ... No Reservations is a 2007 romantic comedy directed by Scott Hicks, from a screenplay by Carol Fuchs based on an original script by Sandra Nettelbeck. ... The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996) is a romantic comedy movie starred and directed by Barbra Streisand. ... Chasing Liberty is a 2004 romantic comedy directed by Andy Cadiff about the American Presidents daughter. ... Bold textBold textBold textBold text[[Media::This article is about the novel. ... Bend It Like Beckham is a British film released in 2002 in the UK and released in the United States in March 2003. ... This article is about the film, Toys. ... The Witches of Eastwick is a 1987 feature film based on the novel of the same title by John Updike. ... Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell, known as Ken Russell (born July 3, 1927), is an English film director, particularly well-known for his films about famous composers and his controversial, often outrageous pioneering work in film. ... Aria is a 1987 British film, in Italian, French and German, made up of ten short pieces directed by a variety of different directors, based on pieces of classical music. ...

Selected recordings

This is a selection of tenor aria recordings which include 'Nessun dorma' sung by some of its most famous interpreters. For full length recordings of the opera from which it comes, see Turandot: Selected recordings For the opera by Ferruccio Busoni, see Turandot (Busoni). ...

• The Very Best of Beniamino Gigli (EMI Classics)
• The Very Best of Jussi Björling (EMI Classics)
• The Very Best of Franco Corelli (EMI Classics)
• Pavarotti Forever (Decca)
• The Essential Plácido Domingo (Deutsche Grammophone)

Beniamino Gigli (March 20, 1890 - November 30, 1957) was an Italian singer, widely regarded as one of the greatest operatic tenors of his time. ... Johan Jonatan   (5 February 1911 – 9 September 1960) was a Swedish tenor and one of the most highly regarded opera singers of the 20th century. ... Franco Corelli. ... Luciano Pavarotti performing on June 15, 2002 at a concert in the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille Luciano Pavarotti, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI[1] (October 12, 1935 – September 6, 2007) was a celebrated Italian tenor in operatic music, who successfully crossed into popular music becoming one of the most... Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil KBE (born January 21, 1941)[1] better known as Plácido Domingo, is a world-renowned operatic tenor. ...

References

Footnotes

Further references

• Full text of the aria with a translation by Jason Siegal on The Aria Database (accessed 8 October 2007)
• Video of Luciano Pavarotti's last performance - Torino 2006 (accessed 8 October 2007)
• Translation and commentary by Mark D. Lew (accessed 8 October 2007)