Mario Lanza sang the thrilling aria "Nessun Dorma" from Giacomo Puccini's 12th and final opera, Turandot (composed 1921-1924; first performed 1926), in concert at the Hollywood Bowl on July 24, 1948. The composer Miklós Rózsa conducted the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. This performance is available in somewhat improved sound on the 2015 Sepia Records CD Mario Lanza: Greatest Operatic Recordings.
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Mario Lanza (left), Kathryn Grayson, and Miklós Rózsa, July 1948
#19 Nessun Dorma (Serenade, 1955; outtake)
Lanza recorded two takes of "Nessun Dorma" on July 21, 1955 at Warner Bros' Burbank Studios for the soundtrack of his 1956 film, Serenade. The conductor was Ray Heindorf.
This rendition was the first of the two takes recorded that day, and was subsequently discarded in favor of the second take. It was not commercially released until 2017 (on the Sony 2-CD set Mario Lanza: The Best of Everything).
In comparison with Rozsa's challenging, almost dirge-like, tempo on Lanza's Hollywood Bowl version of the aria (above), conductor Heindorf keeps things moving along fairly briskly on this rendition. (The released version below is even faster.)
After you have listened to and rated this rendition, you may enjoy reading our forum discussion.
#20 Nessun Dorma (Serenade, 1955; film version)
This is the second of Lanza's two 1955 takes of "Nessun Dorma" (see above), and was featured in Serenade. (For an audio-only version without the talking that occurs at the beginning of the film clip, click here.) It is available commercially on the BMG CDs Encore! (1998), Mario Lanza: Opera Arias and Duets(1999), and Mario Lanza: Serenade/A Cavalcade of Show Tunes(2004).
After you have listened to and rated this rendition, you may enjoy reading our forum discussion.
Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma! No one sleeps! No one sleeps! Tu pure, o, Principessa, Even you, oh Princess, nella tua fredda stanza, in your cold room. guardi le stelle you look at the stars che tremano d'amore that tremble of love e di speranza. and of hope. Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me, But my mystery is locked inside me, il nome mio nessun saprà! no one will know my name! No, no, sulla tua bocca lo dirò No, no, only to your mouth will I say it quando la luce splenderà! when the light will shine! Ed il mio bacio scioglierà il silenzio And my kiss will break the silence che ti fa mia! that makes you mine! Dilegua, o notte! Disperse, oh night! Tramontate, stelle! Vanish, stars! Tramontate, stelle! Vanish, stars! All'alba vincerò! At dawn I will win! Vincerò! Vincerò! I will win! I will win!