This is a song that I really can't say much about except that if you haven't heard it by now (and you may have since it's been in countless movies) it's about time you have. Vocals by Pavarotti (I like his version better), it's an aria from the opera Turandot. It's one of the most romantic pieces of music ever recorded. It's the one song I always mention when I get asked that rarest of rare questions, "Mark, what's your favorite aria?".
The reasons are two fold. The first one is the music. When you listen to the swelling of the orchestra, the rise and fall of it and Pavarotti's powerful voice it's hard not to be moved. The cescendo at the end renders me speechless everytime I hear it. The second reason didn't hit me until years after I first heard the song when I finally got my hands on the libretto. That basically gives you the lyrics of the song and when I read the words to this song I realized why it has stood the test of time.
"Nobody shall sleep!... Nobody shall sleep!
Even you, o Princess,
in your cold room,
watch the stars,
that tremble with love
and with hope.
But my secret is hidden within me,
my name no one shall know... No!...No!...
On your mouth I will tell it
when the light shines.
And my kiss will dissolve the silence
that makes you mine!...
(No one will know his name and we must, alas, die.)
Vanish, o night!
Set, stars! Set, stars!
At dawn, I will win! I will win! I will win!"
Now the opera Turandot is about a princess that lures lovesick princes to their deaths. In order to win her hand in marriage thay have to answer three riddles and if they fail the get beheaded. It goes on and get's better but this is not about me getting into that. This is about the aria and the amazing timeless beauty of it. Enjoy!
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