&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;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, &lt;em&gt;Turandot&lt;/em&gt;, 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&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;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 &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.metopera.org/"&gt;&lt;span&gt;Metropolitan Opera&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt; performance from the Before Times (a.k.a.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt; 1966).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Guests:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Conductor &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://yannicknezetseguin.com/en/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Yannick Nézet-Séguin&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt; 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.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Writer &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://annemidgette.com/"&gt;Anne Midgette&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;is the former classical music critic for &lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span&gt;The Washington Post&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;span&gt;. 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.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://researchfaculty.brighamandwomens.org/BRIProfile.aspx?id=3934"&gt;Dr. Michael Cho&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; 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 "&lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOKW42q7HWE"&gt;Nessun Dorma&lt;/a&gt;."&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In April of 2020, 700 children sang a virtual performance of "Nessun Dorma," as a message of hope and solidarity to the world, from &lt;a href="https://www.europaincanto.com/"&gt;Europa InCanto&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MZWmikiJVIQ" width="100%"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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Puccini's Turandot: Hope Never Sleeps

WQXR & The Metropolitan Opera