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May 1, 2024 · Now, let’s discuss the lyrics of “Nessun Dorma.”. The song itself is an aria, which is a solo piece in an opera, sung by Prince Calaf in the final act. The title means “None Shall Sleep” in English, and the full text is as follows: che tremano d’amore, e di speranza. il nome mio nessun saprà!
- First of All, Grab A Tissue and Have A Listen
- The Music
- The Set-Up in The Opera Is Absolutely Ridiculous
- The Lyrics
- The Build to That Incredible Final Note
- The Performances
Nice, eh? But how does has one Puccini aria, tucked away in the last act of his opera Turandot, make such a huge impact?
Boy, Puccini could write a great melody. Though it's the notes at the end that stick in the mind, they come after two and a half minutes for stunning lines for the singer. The phrases wash over you in waves. Then as it grows in passion, the tenor line becomes more declamatory with repeated notes as the orchestra swells poignantly underneath with bi...
Picture the scene: our hero, Calaf, is one of three suitors for the delightfully picky Princess Turandot. As a weird sort of challenge, Calaf says that if Turandot can correctly guess his name, she may execute him (?!) but if she can’t, then she must marry him (?!?!?!!) In a whimsically sociopathic move, the Princess decides that ‘None shall sleep’...
So with that insane set-up in place (who would want to marry this maniac?!), Calaf now quietly hopes that he will win this strange little game, and is both poetic and boastful: “But my secret is hidden within me; no one will know my name! No, no! On your mouth I will say it when the light shines!” Then he becomes a proper show-off: “And my kiss wil...
Here’s what the score looks like: If you’re familiar with score-reading, you’ll notice that the infamous long B natural is, in fact, not long at all. And although holding that note is perhaps the most defining aspect of the whole thing, it was never actually included in Puccini’s original score. Here’s a great illustration of how different tenors t...
Luciano Pavarottihas perhaps done more than anyone else to popularise this aria, thanks to his performances at the 1990 World Cup and with The Three Tenors. But many other great tenors have made it their own, with just as much power and passion as the great Italian. Here’s one of the great tenor voices of our time, Jonas Kaufmann, giving it everyth...
Apr 19, 2024 · Freddie De Tommaso presents a new Classic FM series ‘Notes from Italy’. Picture: Classic FM. In his video, De Tommaso explores the setting of the aria in the operatic drama, how Puccini slowly and expertly conjures this heroic moment in music, and what it requires of the singer. The tenor also shares a fun fact about the iconic high B note ...
Feb 20, 2018 · This is true not only of foreign-language lyrics, but also gibberish lyrics, unintelligible lyrics, and lyrics that don't make literal sense. On the other hand, when you do understand the lyrics, a song that previously was just interesting noise to you can gain new depth and richness. It really depends a lot on what the lyrics actually say.
You usually are given some sort of translation, either through subtitles, or a book with the lyrics or something like that. That said, I don't think a lot of people go to the opera without knowing the play beforehand, so they already know what is going on and mostly go to enjoy the acting, the singing and the music. 2.
That's it. If you like how something sounds and care to know what's being said, read a plot summary or translation. If you don't like what you hear, knowing the plot and the meaning of the words will not help. When it comes to opera you really need to have an interest in the human voice and this style of singing. If you don't, you won't like it.
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That's why they don't like singers like Julie Andrews (but like her better than most dramatic opera singers). As a lay listener, I assumed "wide" meant "widely fluctuating pitch," i.e. "widely fluctuating frequency," but my assumption might have been wrong. It seems like you and other commenters are using the term "natural" with different meanings.
