THE ITALIA
‘90 ANTHEM
that went to
NO.1
If you are not forty-something or older, 
let me set the scene: July 1990. The 
Football World Cup hosted by Italy is 
approaching its climax. The final between 
West Germany and Argentina is about 
to take place. The whole event has been 
full of tense matches and heart-breaking 
exits, with England having been knocked 
out at the semi-finals on penalties. 
Over the course of the tournament, the 
phenomenal voice of the world’s greatest 
operatic tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, has 
been spilling into living rooms across the 
length and breadth of the country. It is as 
though the stars have aligned: a global 
sporting occasion, a historic setting, a 
dramatic soundtrack, and a world ready 
to experience something emotional and 
unifying. The soundtrack in question? 
“Nessun Dorma”.
“Nessun Dorma” is a classical aria from 
the opera “Turandot” by the Italian 
composer Giacomo Puccini. It had been 
chosen as the background music for the 
television coverage of the World Cup 
by Philip Berne, then a junior producer 
at the BBC. He had heard it on the 
radio and was instantly inspired by the 
dramatic repetition of the word “vincero” 
(I will win). The original soundtrack used 
by the BBC was from a 1972 recording 
made by Luciano Pavarotti. It perfectly 
encapsulated the drama and emotion 
of that very moment in time. In fact, its 
instant popularity was so widespread, 
that on the eve of the World Cup Final, 
Pavarotti sang it at a live concert in Rome. 
Also taking part were two other famous 
operatic tenors – Jose Carreras and 
Placido Domingo. This became known 
as the legendary “Three Tenors Concert”. 
Its success was in no small part thanks 
to the traction that “Nessun Dorma” had 
already gained on the BBC.
So, what makes the music so perfect? 
In the opera, this aria is sung by the 
main character, Calaf, who falls in love 
with the Princess Turandot. Calaf has 
set the Princess a challenge: if she 
succeeds in guessing his name by 
dawn, she can execute him. If not, she 
must marry him. As the aria begins, it 
is still night. There is tension in the air, 
because Turandot has decreed that 
nobody shall sleep until Calaf’s name is 
discovered. For this opening section, the 
composer Puccini has created a melody 
which is beautiful and expressive. But 
the underlying harmony is intentionally 
very static, continuously alternating 
between only two chords – G major and 
E flat minor/major 7th. This creates a 
strong sense of uncertainty. To draw an 
analogy with football, it is the musical 
equivalent of watching the ball being 
passed from player to player, albeit 
with professional precision, yet without 
really advancing deep into the opposing 
half. In the ensuing section of music, 
Calaf sings of his confidence in winning 
the Princess’s love. This confidence 
is reflected in the music by a greater 
harmonic progression, whilst the melodic 
phrases rise in wave-like manner towards 
the inexorable “vincero” climax. The 
footballing equivalent here is watching 
the ball moving gradually through midfield 
towards the opposition goal and finishing 
with a centre forward’s perfect strike into 
the back of the net.
After Italia ‘90, the “Three Tenors Concert” 
became the best-selling classical album in 
history. “Nessun Dorma” was transformed 
from an operatic aria into a global sporting 
anthem and was played at stadia and 
other venues across the world. In the UK, 
it reached number 2 in the singles chart, 
something hitherto unheard of for a piece 
of classical music. It has managed to 
bridge that gap that once existed between 
high art and pop culture. But when all is 
said and done, let us not forget to give 
full credit to Giacomo Puccini for his 
compositional accomplishment and sheer 
mastery of his art.
Mr Czepiel
Many view Italia ’90 as the greatest of all World Cups when it was said ‘the best team won, but England had the best story.’ 
With English clubs banned from European competitions at the time, and weighed down by press criticism, England’s manager, 
the legendary Bobby Robson, soldiered on and led his team to the famous semi-final in Turin against West Germany. Millions 
across the country held their breath during the penalty shoot-out, with Chris Waddle’s slice finally knocking England out of the 
competition. With Paul ‘Gazza’ Gascoigne’s on-pitch tears, the nation had been completely won over, and the Robson’s men 
returned to Blighty as national heroes. Another treasured memory of that summer is Nessun Dorms, the theme music which 
introduced all the BBC coverage, taken from Puccini’s opera Turandot. Mr Czepiel explains how a classical aria seized the public 
imagination, and proved the perfect accompaniment for a World Cup campaign like no other.
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