Turandot was composed between 19, when Puccini died of lung cancer, leaving the ending partially finished. The aria is often sung by many amateur reality TV contestants, such as Paul Potts in X Factor. Luciano Pavarotti’s 1972 recording of the aria was used as the theme to BBC’s TV coverage of the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, bringing it to worldwide pop status. There have been many great performances of the aria over the years (see Critic’s choice below). Part of the aria’s difficulty is that the tessiture of the high points lie in the tenor’s passaggio (transition point), making the high B difficult to sing without strain. The second comes in the final stanza, “All’alba vincero.” In performance, the final “Vincerò!” features a sustained high B, followed by an even longer sustained high A-although in Puccini’s original score, the B is written as an eighth note while the A is a whole note. The first comes in “sulla tua bocca lo diro” and is classic Puccini with a long vocal line that seems to never end. That night, Act III begins while Beijing is in turmoil, with Calaf singing “Nessun dorma” (No one shall sleep), echoing Turandot’s command. Turandot then commands that none of her subjects shall sleep that night until his name is discovered. After correctly answering Turandot’s three riddles and winning her as his wife, our hero Calaf offers the ice princess a way out of marrying him if she can find out his name by morning.

Puccini’s last opera, Turandot, features several popular arias, but the Act III tenor aria “Nessun dorma” is undoubtedly the most memorable. Home Content Articles La Scena Musicale SearchĪria of the Month: Nessun Dorma by Wah Keung Chan

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