REVIEWS: LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR, HANNOVER

HAZ

Heartily Cheered Opera Gala with Joseph Calleja and Tatiana Lisnic in Hanover

"This eight-year old production comes across all the more artificial the more one sees it. In any event it is well enough organized for visiting stars to move around in it without getting distracted. This would, however, be no problem in any case for Joseph Calleja, who is one of those rare tenors who use vocal and personal radiance to form a centre of attention all their own wherever they happen to be standing."

"The young Maltese artist has one of those voices that is instantly recognizable. Even Rolando Villazón always sounds just a little like Plácido Domingo, but Calleja is unmistakable. His timbre is marked by a mini tremolo, the kind we occasionally hear, albeit differently, from Neil Shicoff. Calleja’s voice reveals a solid core. He made a previous appearance in Hanover two and a half years ago, this time partnering Anna Nebrebko in an aria concert at the TUI Arena. Back then he sounded a nuance more lyrical, now he is more virile but nevertheless still agile.

Here and there, one might wish for a bit more elegance in the shading of his sound, but this is a glowing, full-throated voice, which makes him an heir apparent to be taken seriously for the place recently vacated by one of the Three Tenors. And every note this production takes away from him is a pity, because the duet between Edgardo and Enrico has been cut here."

"At the end, the tenor enjoyed one more triumph, because Gaetano Donizetti provided him with the final aria, which gave Joseph Calleja yet another opportunity to shine."

Rainer Wagner, HAZ – Hannover 28 June 2008
Translations from German by Mr Donald Arthur

NP:
Bel Canto Drug: “Lucia di Lammermoor” as an Operatic Gala

"Evenings like this one can be addictive: great voices, voices that aren’t just loud, but can accurately transport the passion inherent in bel canto opera [...] And the singers were top-class. Joseph Calleja with his youthful timbre, secure top and artistic phrasing rose to the full height of the composition, and what controlled power! Amazing how easily super voices like this one fill the total expanse of the house. The first applause came after the magnificently harmonious duets at the end of the first act. No, these were more than just itinerant stars delivering a performance along the way."

NP, Hannover 28 June 2008
Translations from German by Mr Donald Arthur