Christopher Macchio Slaughters Puccini In Political Propaganda Night

Opera suffered a major blow in the America's capital. Donald Trump ended the fourth evening of the Republican National Convention on the lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., with singer Christopher Macchio attempting to interpret Puccini's well-known "Nessun Dorma" from the portico balcony. Struggling through music that is beyond his faculties, even with a microphone, he followed the aria with Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," Schubert's "Ave Maria," Irving Berlin's "God Bless America," and ended with Katharine Lee Bates's "America the Beautiful." The entire spectacle was reminiscent of autocratic regimes in the world that flaunt crowds and wealth as political power. Remember in the context of the opera Turandot, from which the aria derives, the title character has threatened "This night, none shall sleep in Peking! The penalty for all will be death if the Prince's name is not discovered by morning." It's not clear whether the administration knew this in advance or perhaps that is why is was selected. 

According to various biographies, the entertainer attended the Manhattan School of Music in New York. Macchio came to the attention of Donald Trump after he performed at a New Year's Eve Party thrown at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. Read more about his achievements here. "His exploits can be followed online though his website, www.christphermacchio.com, through social media, and experienced on his debut album, DocliMomenti, which showcases a stylistic range that can delicately draw an audience in, and
then build to a virtuoso climax that leaves
goosebumps on the arms and tears in the eyes."

Reviews have been less than favorable of the performance. Watch it here. A professional version of the famous aria can be found after the jump.

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