Who sang the high note in ‘Nessun Dorma’ the best?

13 March 2018, 16:43 | Updated: 13 March 2018, 16:52

Puccini’s top B – it’s both the dream and nightmare of the world’s greatest tenors. But who does it best?

It’s easy to assume that Pavarotti’s stonking version is the be-all and end-all when it comes to the performance of this great Puccini aria.

But there are so many other greats out there, whose epic vocal finales deserve a bit of attention: Beniamino Gigli’s ‘Vincerò’, for instance, is powerful in its simplicity, while Jussi Björling’s is big, flowery and completely luxurious – and who could forget the time Aretha Franklin stepped in for Pavarotti and belted out a not-really-operatic but still stunningly soulful finale?

Check out 13 of the most memorable performances of the ‘Nessun Dorma’ climax in the video above, and decide for yourself who really pulls it out of the bag…