Pene Pati - Nessun Dorma

October 27, 2026 · Neil Kurtzman

Puccini’s last tenor aria is the title of a 2024 album by Samoan tenor Pene Pati. Pati was born in Samoa in 1987 and grew up in Auckland, New Zealand. He studied at the Wales International Academy of Voice in Cardiff and subsequently trained in San Francisco Opera’s Merola and Adler programs. In 2015 he won second prize and the audience prize at Operalia. His international career has taken him to the Paris Opera, Vienna State Opera, London’s Royal Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera, where he debuted as the Duke in Rigoletto in January 2025. His repertory centers on the French and Italian lyric tenor roles. He is married to soprano Amina Edris; both she and his brother, tenor Amitai Pati, join him on this album.

When Pati made his Met debut, reviewers noted the inconsistency of his high notes . Some were thought brilliant while other were strained. His problem seems to me that his voice is improperly placed. He has almost no chest resonance.

It would take a complete reset of his vocal placement to fix this problem. At age 39 he is unlikely to make such an effort, especially as he has been making successful appearances at many of the world’s leading opera houses

Below is his rendition of “Salut! demeure chaste et pure” from Gounod’s Faust. His tone is very sweet, and he makes a diminuendo on the aria’s high C. The effect is attractive, but to my ear the note lacks the full-bodied ring that makes a diminuendo from a powerful forte so impressive. Judge for yourself from the excerpt below. This approach works well in this aria, but less well in more forceful music, such as the aria that gives the album its title.

It’s been close to two centuries since Gilbert Duprez introduced the high C from the chest. Pati should, as suggested above , reconsider his vocal placement.

The full contents of this album are below:

Nessun dorma — Contents, in album order

1. Puccini: Turandot — “Nessun dorma!”
2. Gounod: Faust, 1858 version — “Salut! demeure chaste et pure.”
3. Gounod: Faust, 1858 version — “Et toi, malheureux Faust… C’est l’enfer qui t’envoie.”
4. Massenet: Manon — “Je suis seul!… Ah! fuyez, douce image.”
5. Mascagni: L’amico Fritz — “Suzel, buon dì!” (Cherry Duet), with Amina Edris.
6. Verdi: Macbeth — “Dove siam?… La patria tradita,” with Amitai Pati and chorus.
7. Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust — “Nature immense.”
8. Massenet: Werther — “Traduire! Ah! bien souvent… Pourquoi me réveiller.”
9. Donizetti: Dom Sébastien — “Seul sur la terre.”
10. Puccini: La bohème — “Che gelida manina.”
11. Mercadante: Il bravo — “Non sai tu che non avrai,” with Amitai Pati.
12. Guiraud: Frédégonde — “Nous partirons ce soir!” (orchestrated by Paul Dukas), with Amina Edris.
13. Donizetti: La Favorite — “La maîtresse du roi!”
14. Donizetti: La Favorite — “Ange si pur.”
15. Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor — “Tombe degli avi miei… Fra poco a me ricovero.”
16. Verdi: Macbeth — “O figli miei!… Ah, la paterna mano.”
17. Halévy: La Juive — “Tu possèdes, dit-on,” with Amina Edris and Amitai Pati.

Digital bonus track: Gounod: Faust — “Quel trouble inconnu me pénètre!… Salut! demeure chaste et pure,” in the familiar version.

Emmanuel Villaume conducts the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, with the Chœur de l’Opéra National de Bordeaux. The Faust cabaletta and the duet from Frédégonde are world-premiere recordings. Warner Classics/Erato, 2024.