Whether you think it's the best one or not, it can't be argued that without Pavarotti's Nessun Dorma it wouldn't be half as popular as it is. This is precisely how Puccini wrote it, too - so this is probably the most 'authentic' version out there. Merli sticks exactly to the score, and doesn't hold that famous long note at the end at all - completely changing how it sounds to modern ears. Firstly, it's taken from the first time that Turando was ever recorded in its entirety in 1937, but more interestingly, it also shows just how indulgent subsequent tenors are with its performance.

This is an incredible recording for several reasons.

Taken from a performance in Vienna in 1983, this is another interesting version, not only because of Carreras' stony-faced performance, but because of how he and conductor Lorin Maazel toy with the speed - especially at the climax. This studio recording of Puccini's most famous aria is surprisingly efficient - Gigli doesn't bother with all the over-wrought showboating that is so easy to fall into, he just rocks up, gets the job done and leaves it at that.Īnother member of the The Three Tenors, another scintillating Nessun Dorma. But there's also something rather intimate about it, accompanied only by piano in front of a clearly appreciative crowd at Carnegie Hall.Ĭorelli, like Björling, is a fan of drawing out certain phrases to give them emphasis, and you can hear him do it from the very beginning of this impeccably costumed performance. This is a truly luxurious interpretation by the Swedish tenor - listen to how he extends certain notes to give them more impact, milking them for drama as he goes. There are people who decry Bocelli's ability at the top end of his register, but he sounds perfectly comfortable here, performing at his iconic 'A Night In Tuscany' show.

Andrea Bocelliįew tenors have quite so clear a voice as Andrea Bocelli, so the plaintive opening section of Nessun Dorma suits him perfectly. Here, he sings it as part of the film Serenade, his penultimate movie performance that featured a variety of operatic arias. He had only done a little 'proper' opera by the time he came to prominence, but his reading of Nessun Dorma is truly powerful. Lanza was the first pop star tenor, the first tenor to really break through into popular consciousness.

Nessun dorma lyrics