I heard a lovely version of this aria on the radio the other day. Nessun dorma (No one shall sleep) is an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot. The performances by Domingo, Carreras and Pavarotti are classics, but here is a beautiful rendition by Michael Bolton.
Calaf, the unknown prince, falls in love at first sight with the beautiful Princess Turandot. However, any man who wishes to wed Turandot must first answer her three riddles. If he fails, he will be beheaded. (Previous suitors have not done well.) Calaf correctly answers Turandot’s three riddles, but she still rejects marriage to him. Calaf offers the princess another chance to be free of him. If she can guess his name by dawn, she can execute him; but if she fails, she must marry him. The cruel princess orders none of her subjects are to sleep that night until his name is discovered. If they fail, all will be killed.
These two aren’t exactly my idea of a romantic hero and heroine, but it’s an interesting story and beautiful music.
Nessun dorma at Wikipedia
The story of Turandot
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