It could be argued that Freddie Mercury and Luciano Pavarotti were two of the greatest voices the world has ever heard. Both powerful and with instantly recognisable tone.
So it would be some fete for someone to try and imitate one of these legendary vocalists, and plain crazy to try and nail both in the same video. There is only one man that could come close, that man is Marc Martel. He calls this version of Nessun Dorma “The Mercurotti” and it is sublime.
Although Queen was known for rock and pop tracks, Freddie famously loved opera too. Bohemian Rhapsody is one of the most famous songs of all time and contains an epic opera section.
Freddie also duetted with the Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé in the song Barcelona, the theme for the 1992 Olympics.
Freddie had such an incredible four-octave range that he seemed able to sing any style brilliantly. Pavarotti, on the other hand, was one of the most famous tenors of all time. He performed for royalty, at major events like the Olympics and with many other stars, including Celine Dion, Elton John, Frank Sinatra and Andrea Bocelli. Over his lifetime, he released over thirty albums and won seven Grammy awards. Both of these men are virtuosos.
It would be impressive for an impersonator to accurately duplicate the skill of one of these singers, let alone two. Amazingly, though, Marc Martel has not only done it, he hit it out of the park. He rather quirkily named it "The Mercurotti". Mark is a singer-songwriter with 1.42 million subscribers to his YouTube channel. His covers of Queen songs are the most popular, with Bohemian Rhapsody receiving a staggering 54 million views.
Mark explains why he chose to create this striking performance: "It was Pavarotti's calling card, and I've often wished he'd sung a duet with Freddie Mercury. Perhaps it would have sounded a bit like this. This was shot as a 3-camera one-take, with the help of my wife, Crystal. The only vocal overdub is the "Pavarotti" harmony at the very end, as I've yet to master singing in two voices at once."
Maybe he can't sing two voices at once, but he can sing like Freddie Mercury and Pavarotti so perfectly that many sites have listed this video as a duet between the two legends. However, as these versions sound identical to Mark's version, it is clear he is the singer.
Somehow, knowing this fact makes the performance more exciting and wonderful, not less. Not only do you have to admire Mark's skill, but you also have to consider the "what if". What if these two sublime singers had really duetted? It's sad that we will never know. At least we have this video to give us a taste; why not listen now? See more from Marc Martel on YouTube and Facebook or follow him on Instagram.