Aretha Franklin 'Nessun Dorma' Liveᴴᴰ (Grammy Awards)

SUBSCRIBE

#ArethaFranklin #NessunDorma #Pavarotti #Puccini #GrammyAwards

No sleep, no sleep
You pure, o, Princess
In your cold room
Look at the stars that tremble
Of love and hope
But my mystery is closed in me
No one will know my name
No, no, I'll say it on your mouth
When the light shines
And my kiss will break the silence
That makes you mine
(No one will know his name)
(And we must, alas, die, die)
Vanish, o night
Set, stars
Set, stars
I'll win at dawn
I will win
I will win

[joncaju]

Original lyrics:
Nessun dorma
Nessun dorma

Tu pure, o Principessa
Nella tua fredda stanza
Guardi le stelle
Che tremano d'amore e di speranza

Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me
Il nome mio nessun saprà
No, no, sulla tua bocca lo dirò
Quando la luce splenderà
Ed il mio bacio scioglierà il silenzio
Che ti fa mia

(Il nome suo nessun saprà
E noi dovrem, ahimè, morir, morir)

Dilegua, o notte
Tramontate, stelle!
Tramontate, stelle!
All'alba vincerò!
Vincerò!
Vincerò!!

English translation (Aretha Franklin rendition):
No sleep
No sleep

You too, O, Princess
In your cold room
Look at the stars
That tremble love
And hope

Within my heart my secret lies
And what his name is none shall known
No, no, till on the heart I confess it
Soon as morning lights shall dawn

Oh Prince, then shall
My kisses break the silence
That makes thee mine

(his name no will know
And we shall, alas, die)

Disappear, O night
Set, Stars!
Set, Stars!
Allalba won!
I will win!
I will win!!

[theonlyrocha]

and she casually walked off with two hands full of wigs she snatched from everybody's head.
iconic.

[callystarr]

So many people do not even understand, that she never rehearsed with this orchestra, or the choir, all she had was her ear and her voice. Any musician would know how extremely Special for us to watch a true artist in their form, you could see how she started out tentative even the producer talked about this, and how she got stronger as she got more comfortable. Hell this might not even be in the same key, that she had performed in before. Everything from top to bottom about this performance is breathtaking

[jaebee]

Can we take a minute and give that Maestro his due? The Queen was conducting HIM. 🤣 He had to watch her, anticipate her and make sure the orchestra stayed with her. Bravo, Sir.

[donnaanddavid]

I won a trip to the Grammy awards that year. It was the most incredible experience I ever had. So blessed to have seen this performance live. It still makes me cry!

[TTony-tudm]

A piece written for a male tenor and she knocked it out of the park as a last minute replacement. Incredible

[MB-hvhw]

I love that transition towards the end. She’s not a trained operatic singer, she’s the greatest gospel singer of all time and she’s like let’s fucken party with this finish. Incredible.

[MrSA]

She did this for Pavarotti. Blessed be, now they are both gone. Rest in Heaven.

[haze]

I remembered this.. Mr. Pavorotti fell ill and she filled in for him.... I can remember as a teenage black girl watching this I was so messmerized and excited... I started crying and my Dad put his arm on my shoulder and said Music touches everyone in different ways no matter what language it's in... I've never forgotten this performance from the first time I saw it... This performance is so special to me.... Thx Aretha for showing me that there's nothing you can't Truly the Queen of Soul..

[treehugger]

As a 100% Italian lady I am very protective of this song but in Ms Aretha’s capable hands, oh my! Puccini meets First Lady of soul! Brava singnora cantante Brava!

[nineomite]

Fun fact: Aretha took over on 15 minutes notice for a sick Pavarotti (a deep-voiced male tenor) which is why Aretha had to go so low at times - this is not a key she normally sings in, and the band/choir didn't have time to change keys.

The fact that those low notes are maybe the most goosebump-inducing part of this performance... I mean you just have to hail the Queen, don't you?

The lady was simply the greatest singer that has ever lived.

[Marilyn-npls]

Opera is the most difficult genre of music to sing. To see her cross over and kill it as an untrained opera singer, but as a phenomenal soul singer is pure magic.

[forgoogletotrack]

I don't know why some people are surprised that Aretha Franklin could sing an operatic piece spontaneously. Her voice was elastic and she had power and range and could adapt when it needed to.

[glennnow]

I am old enough to remember this. She stepped in at the last minute when Luciano Pavorotti got sick, and it became a huge entertainment event. There aren't many stars around who are this brave. Some critics whined about her phrasing and pronunciation of the Italian, but frankly, all opera singers massacre the language because they're trying to hit those high notes. This is one of the best performances in the history of the Grammys. I can't even count how many times I've watched this. It always lifts me up. It's not everyday you see other singers so blown away. I always love Faith Hill's tearful face and Celine's obvious adoration. Stunning.

[TeaReesa]

I know everyone wants to talk about that ending. But can we give some appreciation to those low notes? Those effortless, smooth drops? That is not easy to do, and she did it so beautifully. It makes my alto heart warm and happy.

[joeyboy]

I love how she didn't try to hold the last note like opera singers usually do. Just hit a succession of runs that only Aretha herself could do. Wonderful.

[atlantisbusinessinc]

One of the greatest live television performances in history and should not be forgotten.

[braviafeed]

Quite possibly the greatest female vocalist of the 20th century.

[oliviacasino]

As an opera lover I tell you this is as glorious as Nessun Dorma ever sounded to me! Aretha’s artistry is without parallel.

[kimf]

At the end she took that little breath then sang to open up the heavens. Incredible performance at a moments notice! There was only one Aretha!