No one who sings like that should do it as an amateur, as he has been doing, apparently. I am glad that he is getting media exposure, and now international on YouTube. I'd love to get a CD when he makes one.
I found other Nessun Dormas on Youtube by Pavarotti, Domingo, Carreras, Bocelli and Sarah Brightman. I liked Paul's above them all. IMO, he has more feeling in his voice than those superstars.
What has made opera popular over the centuries is that it combines both singing and acting. As Paul demonstrates with his voice, singing can make otherwise schmaltzy dialog very moving. Here is Nessun Dorma (no one sleeps) in English:
No one sleeps, no one sleeps...
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 speak it
When the light shines,
And my kiss will dissolve the silence
That makes you mine.
Chorus:
No one will know his name
And we must, alas, die.
The Prince:
Vanish, o night!
Set, stars!
At daybreak, I shall conquer!
Without the music, the lines, although poetic, are nowhere near as moving.
Opera singers were the icons of their day, with as much of a worshipful following as any rock star or movie star has today, considering they combined both of those talents in one performer. |
