Di Stefano was born in Motta Santa Anastasia, a village near Catania, Sicily. He was the only son of a carabiniere turned cobbler and his dressmaker wife. Di Stefano was educated at a Jesuit seminary and briefly contemplated entering the priesthood.
Di Stefano made his operatic debut in 1946 in Reggio Emilia as Des Grieux in Massenet's Manon, the role with which he made his La Scala debut the following year. He made his debut with the Metropolitan Opera in 1948 as the Duke in Rigoletto, and he went to perform regularly in New York for many years. In 1957, Di Stefano made his British debut at the Edinburgh Festival as Nemorino in L'Elisir d'Amore and his Royal Opera House, Covent Garden debut in 1961 as Cavaradossi in Tosca.
As a singer, Di Stefano was admired for his excellent diction, unique timbre, and passionate delivery, and particularly for his sweet silky soft tones. In his Metropolitan radio debut in Faust, he attacked the high C forte and then softened to a pianissimo. Rudolf Bing said this was the most beautiful sound he ever heard come out of a human throat. But the heavier roles that he began to take on were not really suited for a lyric tenor, and by the mid 1960s he had all but ended his operatic career. (Tenor Luciano Pavarotti modeled himself after Di Stefano, and on the 1992 PBS television program Pavarotti and the Italian Tenor, a vocal coach explained that Di Stefano's technique was faulty because he did not use the passagio in his voice as he should have.) In 1973, he accompanied Maria Callas on her final recital tour, an undertaking that was eventually aborted in 1974 due to the vocal shortcomings of both singers. His final operatic role was as the aged emperor in Turandot in July 1992.
In December 2004, Di Stefano was critically injured in his home in Diani, Kenya after a brutal beating by unknown attackers. The retired singer was ambushed in his car with his wife as they prepared to drive from their villa in Diani, a coastal resort near Mombasa on the Indian Ocean. The singer was still unconscious a week after the attack and was fed intravenously, and underwent several operations.
In December 2007, Di Stefano was flown to the San Raffaele clinic at Milan, where he slipped into a coma. He died in his home in Santa Maria Hoè near Milan on 3 March 2008, aged 86.
Nessun Dorma
Giuseppe di Stefano Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Questa notte nessun dorma in Pekino!
Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma!
Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma!
Tu pure, o Principessa
Nella tua fredda stanza
Guardi le stelle che tremano
Dall'amore e di speranza!
Ma il mio mistero e 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!
ll nome suo nessun saprà
E noi dovrem, ahimè! Morir! Morir!
Dilegua, o notte! Tramontate, stelle!
Tramontate, stelle! All'alba vincerò!
Vincerà! Vincerò!
The lyrics of this song are from the famous aria "Nessun Dorma" of the final act of Giacomo Puccini's opera "Turandot." It's an emotional piece that depicts the power struggle between two lovers, Turandot, a Chinese princess, and a mysterious prince. The first few lines of the song translate to "Thus commands Turandot: Tonight, none shall sleep in Peking!" The prince proclaims that no one will sleep until he can solve Turandot's riddles and discover her name. He passionately sings "No one shall sleep" four times in a row, emphasizing his determination.
In the second stanza, the prince addresses Turandot, telling her that even she, the princess, cannot sleep in her cold room, feeling the same hopelessness and tremble from love that he does. However, the prince also reveals that his name shall remain a mystery to all, stating that he will only tell his name when the sun shines again. He tells Turandot that his kiss will break the silence that keeps her reserved and inaccessible.
Finally, in the last few lines of the song, the prince bids farewell to the night and the stars, triumphantly declaring that he will win in the morning. He sings, "Vanish, night! Set, stars! At daybreak, I will win! I will win!" indicating his confidence in solving Turandot's riddles and winning her heart.
Line by Line Meaning
Così comanda Turandot
This is Turandot's command.
Questa notte nessun dorma in Pekino!
No one sleeps tonight in Beijing!
Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma!
No one sleeps! No one sleeps!
Tu pure, o Principessa
You too, oh Princess,
Nella tua fredda stanza
In your cold chamber
Guardi le stelle che tremano
You look at the stars that are trembling
Dall'amore e di speranza!
with love and hope!
Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me
My mystery is locked inside
Il nome mio nessun saprà!
No one will know my name!
No, no, sulla tua bocca lo dirò
No, no, I will reveal it to you when the light shines!
Quando la luce splenderà!
When the light shines!
Ed il mio bacio scioglierà
And my kiss will melt
Il silenzio che ti fa mia!
The silence that makes you mine!
Il nome suo nessun saprà
No one will know his name
E noi dovrem, ahimè! Morir! Morir!
And we shall, alas, die! Die!
Dilegua, o notte! Tramontate, stelle!
Disappear, oh night! Fade away, stars!
Tramontate, stelle! All'alba vincerò!
Fade away, stars! I will win at dawn!
Vincerà! Vincerò!
I will win! I will win!
Lyrics © Public Domain
Written by: Giacomo Puccini
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Araceli Corona
No quiero ni pensar lo que hubiera sido escucharlo en directo.Sublime
Bast
es la mejor interpretacion de nessum dorma que nunca he oido...Dios que voz...es como estar en el cielo.
Raquel Llaca
Oye su interpretación de las canciones napolitanas !!
Raquel Llaca
Siempre que escuches a Giuseppe Di Stefano, vas a sentir lo mismo porque jamás hubo ni habrá otro tenor como él !!
americathinks1
ay dios , que interpretacion .... se me erizo la piel ...
Martha Elisa
En gustos se rompen géneros y no podemos decir "este es mejor porque yo digo". Yo puedo decirte que el mejor -a MI gusto- es el de Franco Corelli pues es tenor spinto, característica que tiene el personaje de Calaf. Pavarotti era lírico, aunque ello no quiere decir que no la interprete correctamente, y tú mismo lo has dicho: lo tenemos muy escuchado. No nos cerremos, hay tenores fabulosos en el pasado con una voz fenomenal, como Mario del Monaco. No hay mejores ni peores, son todos distintos.
Jose Barradas
Di Stefano é o meu tenor favorito mas a melhor interpretação que já ouvi desta ária é de Pavarotti. Quanto a Di Stefano ninguém cantou qui gelida manina como ele.
Jesus Ocando
Me da la rara impresión de ser la voz más perfecta de tenor que he escuchado.
jenni claire
Love Di Stephano, love the way he does this. He is the most expressive of tenors, I think.
Aceofspades 1
Bom, já ouvi muitas pessoas elogiarem a potência vocal de certo tenor cantando essa ária, outros elogiando a técnica vocal de fulano ou beltrano... Para mim, pessoalmente, Di Stefano está em outro nível. Essa é sua canção, e cada vez q eu ouço ele cantar, com todo seu coração e interpretação, fico maravilhado e boquiaberto. Obrigado Pipo, sempre, sempre soberbo...