Decca Classics
CD 00289 4756931 2
18 October 2005
Jospeph Calleja, tenor
THE GOLDEN VOICE
Soprano: Anna Netrebko, Tatiana Lisnic
Orchestra: Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Conductor: Carlo Rizzi
Balance Engineer: Philip Siney
Recording Producer: Andrew Cornall
Editor: Ian Watson
Producer: Andrew Cornall
Recorded: All
Hallows’ Church, Gospel Oak, London, 16–21 May 2005
CD REVIEWS:
The Golden Voice (2005): 01 · 02
Tenor Arias (2004)
READ SELECTIONS FROM THE PRESS
John Steane, The Gramophone Magazine (UK)
January Issue 2006
http://www.gramophone.co.uk
‘Follow that’ was the cry after a terrific debut; the splendid Calleja duly does.
The one thing that might be regretted about Joseph Calleja’s first recital (5/04) was that it left so little room for improvement. In this second disc he sings in a similar repertoire with similar excellence, the voice still fresh and young, the element of flicker-vibrato unobtrusively giving flavour and zest, the style delightfully combining its essential foundation of legato with an imaginative feeling for light and shade.
As on the previous outing, he shows himself to be particularly well suited to Donizetti. The tessitura exactly fits the natural placing of the voice, so that the arias from Il Duca d’Alba and Dom Sébastien are sung with poise, the high notes taken with an ease which is positively joyful. The melody of ‘Spiro gentil’ flos broadly, the expression catching at the sorrow if not the bitterness of the disillusioned lover.
‘Una furtive lagrima’ has its due complement of vocal graces, and in spirit suggest a very apt Nemorino (as indeed did the opera’s other well know solo, ‘Quanto é bella’, in the earlier recital). There is also some stylish Bellini: a graceful ‘Son gia lontani’ from I puritani and the duet from La sonnambula sung with the delightful Anna Netrebko. He also goes into the (more or less) expected French repertoire, with a sensitive account of the Dream Song form Manon and an even more delicious dreaminess in Nadir’s romance from Les pecheurs de perles. In the Offenbach song his voice takes on a brighter edge, suggesting that he has Jussi Bjorling in mind. At other times (in the lush little bonne bouche from Maristella, for instance) the voice most often evoked is that of Giacomo Lauri-volpi.
I don’t hear much of Gigli (who recorded that aria) – or of Calleja’s contemporary and potential rival, Rolando Villazón. They’re so alike in the fine shading which characterizes the work of each, and (despite having the flicker-element in common) so very different in timbre. Villazón at present seems to be the developing artist, but we’re lucky to have both, each currently in his youthful prime.
Richard Wigmore, The Telegraph (UK)
January 7, 2006
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
The young Maltese Joseph Calleja rivals Rolando Villazón as the most exciting Italianate tenor of his generation. Both singers have gloriously fresh, sensuous voices, each with its own colouring - Villazón's is more baritonal, Calleja's lighter and brighter, with an intriguing mix of velvet and silver.
Donizetti and Bellini suit Calleja's ardent yet graceful bel-canto style perfectly. The most famous number here, "Una furtiva lagrima" from L'elisir d'amore, is wonderfully supple and tender. Calleja combines beautifully with soprano Anna Netrebko in an intensely felt account of the duet from La sonnambula, and catches all the yearning melancholy of an aria from Donizetti's rare Il duca d'Alba.
Native French singers may have brought more Gallic insouciance to Paris's song from La Belle Hélène. But few have rivalled Calleja's rapt delicacy in the Romance from Les Pêcheurs de perles, or his subtle shaping of Werther's sad reverie.
Colman Morissey, The Ticket (The Irish Times, Ireland)
CD OF THE WEEK
January 13, 2006
http://www.ireland.com/theticket/
While titles such as The Golden Voice on recital discs are frequently just rhetoric, for once the hype is supported by the evidence. This young tenor made his debut recital last year to considerable praise, the only caveat being the possibility that Calleja's light voice would confine him to lighter roles. But comparisons with his earlier debut recital on disc show that his voice has gained weight and authority while retaining its lyrical timbre, refined sense of legato and sensitive phrasing. To be specific, on the evidence of this disc Calleja's voice has expanded in depth and colour, is even throughout the register with a ringing and secure top. While he has a light vibrato, it is not intrusive and evokes memories of fine tenors in the past.
Last year's comparisons were drawn with the young Pavarotti, and this recital certainly validates and strengthens them. The arias Calleja sings here are generally from the lighter repertoire of French and Italian, but he sounds as if he could sing heavier roles while retaining the interpretive sensitivity which marked his first recital. His singing of Donizetti's Deserto in Terra is quite memorable and, as in his previous recital, his handling of the French repertoire is impeccable.
A rising star, then; this tenor now sounds like the real thing, and if Calleja's voice continues to develop along the lines apparent from this disc, he could very well claim Pavarotti's crown in the next few years.
Aldo Fenech, The Sunday Times (Malta)
30 October 2005
http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/index.php
Since releasing his first recital in 2003, Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja’s stock has had a meteoric rise. He has already performed in many great opera houses and is set to make his Metropolitan debut in New York in 2006.
This second recital has been keenly awaited and has been awhile in coming. Well, here it is; and what a disc this is! The programme includes 14 arias, eight from the Italian operatic repertoire and six from the French.
All the pieces are carefully chosen to suit Calleja’s very special voice, a lyrical, exciting and limpidly fresh singing instrument which has a wonderful ability to sing legato and fantasy-like diminuendos with natural aplomb.
Calleja also has the amazing talent to make transitions from chest to head voice with consummate ease. The arias Son Già lontani (I Puritani), Son geloso del zefiro errante (La Sonnambula), Elle est princesse! (Si j’etais roi),Ah! Leve-toi soleil! (Romeo et Juliette) and Una furtive lacrima (L’Elisir d’Amore) are all in Calleja’s current repertoire, and his interpretations are as thrilling as they are passionate.
In the Sonnambula duet, Calleja is ably supported by Anna Netrebko, one of today’s top sopranos to come out of Russia. The recital also includes three other Donizetti arias: Spirito gentil (La Favorita), Angelo casto e bel (Il Duca d’Alba) and Deserto in terra (Don Sebastiano). I was introducd to the latter two by luciano Pavarotti way back in the Seventies, and I have retained my deep affection for them ever since; so, apart from going back down memory lane, Calleja’s reditions of these two gems also gave me the opportunity to compare and contrast the two voices. Different timbre yes; but no less exciting nonetheless.
Calleja’s heart-wrenching plea the Duca d’Alba piece, “la mia memoria Amelia almen non maledir” brings a lump to the throat. In Pourquoi me revelleir (Werther), Instant charmant (Manon) and Je crois entendre encore (Les Pecheurs de Perles) the singer grabs the opportunity enthusiastically to display both his glorious high register and mellifluous pianissimo.
In the Manon piece Calleja finds himself in the company of his Moldovan-born wife, Tatiana Lisnic, another fine soprano, whose fresh sounding voice is a perfect match with the tenor’s intoxicating expressiveness. The remaining French aria Au Month Ida (La Belle Helene) is a honeyed bonbon by Offenbach dispatched with a joie-de-vivre that is infectious.
The opening and closing pieces of this marvellous recital are both taken from the Italian repertoire. Although short, the arias La mia letizia infondere (I Lombardi) and Io conosco un giardino (Maristella) are both vehicles for some excellent phrasing and articulate fluency, two aspects of Calleja’s natural talent that come to the fore with youthful immediacy.
The Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, under the benign direction of Carlo Rizzi, never tries to take centre stage, and always allows the singer to project the beauty of this God-given gift. Excellent annotations by Paul Asciak and some wonderful atmospheric sound quality complete a CD which should be in every Maltese opera lover’s collection as well as of those who appreciate great music for its own sake.
George Hall, BBC Music Magazine (UK)
November 2005
Performance
(4/5)Sound
(4/5)
In the note he contributes to the Maltese tenor’s second CD, his teacher Paul Asciak, describes how Joseph Calleja’s voice was discovered and how it has developed. Part of his vocal education was to listen to the greats of the past – Anselmi, Bonci, Schipa, Gigli and others – and to an extent this recital is a tribute to their tradition as well as a demonstration of how it has borne fruit again in Calleja himself.
Collectors may fondly remember items such as Paris’s solo from La belle Hélène and the pretty piece from the forgotten Giuseppe Pietri’s Maristella (1934) from old recordings by artists of the past. Calleja brings them to life once more with his distinctive tone, comprehensive technique and diligent artistry. Arguably he has been too literal in singing the arias from Donizetti’s La favorite and Dom Sebastien in Italian, as they regularly used to be sung, instead of the French originals the composer set. It’s certainly not because his French is deficient – witness the extracts from Manon, Pearl Fishers and Adam’s Si j’etais roi; indeed Calleja savours texts, whether French or Italian. Everything is delivered with skill and imagination, and it’s a worthy successor to his previous disc.
Jessica Durchen, Classic FM (UK)
December 2005
(4/5)
Joseph Calleja is still in his mid-twenties, but already establishing himself as a tremendous tenor in the making. His voice is high, light but strong, capable of glorious flights of virtuosity in this largely bel canto repertory; there’s also the hint of a latent heroic quality that suggests he could move on, when he’s older, to the great Romantic roles. He’s lovely in the French arias, marvelous at conveying romantic yearning. One to Watch.
Anthony Holden, The Observer (UK)
20 November 2005
http://www.theobserver.co.uk
'For a Maltese, he makes a remarkably Italianate sound,' I wrote here of Joseph Calleja's debut album a year ago. The young tenor has since continued to take purposeful strides across the world's opera stages and now returns to the studio with bel canto material well suited to his still developing voice. The more lyrical moments from Verdi, Donizetti, Bellini - notably 'Una furtiva lagrima' and 'Son gia lontani' - bring out his warmth of tone and range of expression, as do two delightful duets with sopranos Anna Netrebko (Bellini's 'La Sonnambula') and Tatiana Lisnic (Massenet's 'Manon'). Here is a superstar in the making.
Ian Dando, New Zealand Listener
3 June 2006
http://www.listener.co.nz/
Calleja’s specialty is in restoring the bel canto singing tradition as in past voices such as Schipa’s and Gigli’s. His medium-size lyric voice is ideal for Donizetti, such as in Una furtiva lagrima, where his elegant legato, frontal voice production and ecstatic tone quality are bel canto at its best. His Bellini duet, shared equally with Russian soprano Anna Netrebko (what a scoop!), has depth of passion. In Nadir’s Romance from Bizet’s Pearlfisher, his subtly shaded diminuendos and the ravishing sensitivity of his head tone make this his most moving item from a voice that could be destined for greatness.
