"Nessun dorma" by Giacomo Puccini (Aria Code)

The fine folks at WNYC's fabulous opera podcast Aria Code
recently reached out about doing a cross-promotion with Strong
Songs, and now here we are, running an episode of their show in
the Strong Songs feed.


If you enjoy it, you should definitely go check out the show -
Aria Code is very easy to find on all major podcast platforms.


ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES (via Aria Code)


Aired: March 10, 2021


Sometimes, the only thing that gets us through the darkest
moments is knowing that the sun will rise again on a new day.
Puccini's final opera, Turandot, is about courage in the face of
adversity, and love triumphing over fear. In other words, it is
exactly what the world needs right now. 


The aria “Nessun dorma” is Prince Calaf’s declaration of love and
resounding victory cry. In this episode, host Rhiannon Giddens
and three guests explore what makes this aria so popular even
beyond the opera house, and how it became an anthem of resilience
and hope during the COVID-19 pandemic. This episode features
Italian tenor Franco Corelli in a Metropolitan Opera performance
from the Before Times (a.k.a. 1966).


The Guests:


Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin is the Music Director of the
Metropolitan Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Orchestre
Métropolitain in Montreal.  He loves conducting Puccini’s
biggest, most majestic opera, but his favorite moments are the
intimate arias like “Nessun dorma.”


Writer Anne Midgette is the former classical music critic
for The Washington Post. She first heard the aria on a Book of
the Month Club cassette tape in college, and thinks the secret
sauce for “Nessun Dorma” is in its climactic underdog declaration
of “Vincerò” -- “I will win.”


Dr. Michael Cho is a pulmonary and critical care physician at
Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and has been on the
frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s also a violist, and has
been playing with the Longwood Symphony Orchestra for more than
15 years. Recently, he joined the National Virtual Medical
Orchestra, a group that formed during COVID to give people in the
medical field a chance to play together. Watch their performance
of "Nessun Dorma" here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOKW42q7HWE&feature=emb_logo


In April of 2020, 700 children across Europe sang a virtual
performance of "Nessun dorma" as a message of hope and
solidarity, from Europa InCanto. You can meet two of the stars in
this episode, and watch their performance here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZWmikiJVIQ&feature=emb_logo