Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) came from a tradition-steeped family of musicians. After seeing a performance of “Aida” in 1876 he decided to compose operas. “Turandot” was Giacomo Puccini’s last composition. Due to a progressive illness he could not complete it. Its premiere performance, conducted by the world-famous Arturo Toscanini, took place on April 25,1926 in Milan. The opera tells of the Chinese princess Turandot presenting three riddles to all men who wish to marry her. Success means marriage, failure means execution. The young prince Kalaf unexpectedly solves all three riddles, but he offers Turandot a way out of the situation: if she finds out his name before sunrise then his life lies in her hands. Turandot desperately tries everything, no matter how cruel it may be, to find out his name, but finally she is overwhelmed by her feelings for Kalaf. In an intimate moment he reveals his name and they celebrate their love. “Nessun Dorma” (None shall sleep tonight!) from the third act of “Turandot” is one of the best-known and most successful arias. In this scene, Turandot commands that no one shall sleep before she learns the name of the prince. Significant performances by Luciano Pavarotti have given this aria great popularity.