The Three Tenors is a name given to collaborative concerts of the three ope… Read Full Bio ↴The Three Tenors is a name given to collaborative concerts of the three operatic tenors Plácido Domingo, José Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti. The trio began their collaboration with a debut concert at the ancient Baths of Caracalla in Rome held on the eve of the 1990 FIFA World Cup final in Italy, on July 7, 1990, with Zubin Mehta conducting the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and the Orchestra del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. The idea of the concert was originally conceived by the Italian manager/producer Mario Dradi. The first concert was held to raise money for Carreras's foundation and also as a way for his contemporaries, Domingo and Pavarotti, to welcome their friend and colleague back to the world of opera after his successful treatment for leukemia.

The three subsequently sang together, in concerts produced by Hungarian Tibor Rudas and others, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles for the 1994 World Cup finals, at the Champs de Mars, below the Eiffel Tower in Paris during France '98 and in Yokohama during the 2002 tournament. They have also played in other cities around the world, usually performing in stadiums or other large outdoor venues.

Chitarra Romana
The Three Tenors Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Sotto un mondo di stelle
Roma bella mi appare
Solitario è il mio cuor
Disilluso d'amor, vuol nell'ombra cantar

Una muta Fontana
E un balcone lassù
O chitarra romana accompagnami tu!

Suona, suona mia chitarra
Lascia piangere il mio cuore
Senza casa e senza amore
Mi rimani solo tu

Se la voce è un po' velata
Accompagnami in Sordina
La mia bella fornarina al balcone non c'è più

Lungo Tevere dorme
Mentre il fiume cammina
Io lo seguo per te
Mi trascina con se e travolge il mio cuore

Vedo un'ombra lontana
E una stella lassù
O chitarra romana accompagnami tu!

Se la voce è un po' velata,
Accompagnami in Sordina,
La mia bella fornarina al balcone non c'è più

O chitarra romana accompagnami tu!

Overall Meaning

The song "Chitarra Romana" performed by The Three Tenors begins with a lonely narrator looking up at the stars, feeling disillusioned with love and wanting to sing in the shadows. He then mentions a quiet fountain and a balcony high above and implores the Roman guitar to accompany him. The singer feels alone and without love, and the guitar is the only thing that he has left. The tone becomes even more mournful as he speaks of his voice being hoarse and asks the guitar to accompany him softly. He speaks of a beautiful baker's daughter who is no longer on the balcony, and how he follows the Tiber River with his heart full of emotion, seeing distant shadows and stars. The song ends with the plea to the Roman guitar to accompany him in his song.

Line by Line Meaning

Sotto un mondo di stelle
Under a world of stars

Roma bella mi appare
Beautiful Rome appears to me

Solitario è il mio cuor
Solitary is my heart

Disilluso d'amor, vuol nell'ombra cantar
Disillusioned by love, it wants to sing in the shadows

Una muta Fontana
A silent fountain

E un balcone lassù
And a balcony up there

O chitarra romana accompagnami tu!
Oh Roman guitar, accompany me!

Suona, suona mia chitarra
Play, play my guitar

Lascia piangere il mio cuore
Let my heart cry

Senza casa e senza amore
Without a home and without love

Mi rimani solo tu
You remain my only one