REVIEWS: MACBETH

New York sun

[...] Joseph Calleja’s Macduff was also strong. His tenor can be a little fluttery but it is a rich, darkish, velvety instrument that brought out the emotion of Macduff’s powerful aria, sung after the slaughter of his family by Macbeth’s forces.

George Loomis, The New York Sun, 12 May 2008

The International Herald Tribune

Pape, Calleja overshadow the leads as Met opera brings back Verdi's 'Macbeth'

In the second half of the evening, the nobleman Macduff, who until this point has mostly been an observer, mourns the slaying of his wife and children in a lyrical aria, "Ah, la paterna mano." This solo provided a golden opportunity for Joseph Calleja, a young tenor from Malta, to impress the audience with his large, warm and well-focused voice. Calleja, whose previous Met appearances have been as the Duke in Verdi's "Rigoletto," drew the evening's biggest applause and made one eager to hear him in more roles.

The Associated Press

The New York Times

The Malta-born tenor Joseph Calleja won a rousing ovation for his impassioned singing of Macduff’s aching aria, when he bewails the murder of his family before vowing revenge on Macbeth. I thought Dimitri Pittas, who sang the role in October, found more nuance and elegance in the music. But Mr. Calleja is emerging as a significant tenor.

Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times, 12 May 2008

An Unamplified Voice

Meanwhile, it's been a very good year for tenors, but if the next Björling or Pavarotti is already out there, it can be no one but the 30-year-old Calleja. As he did in last season's Rigoletto, Calleja put on a display of old-school (pre-veristic) singing that brought the house down -- and, amazingly for the short part of Macduff, earned him the biggest ovation at curtain-calls. Lyric beauty plus natural unforced power plus stage ease equals stardom, but add bel canto mastery and an instantly-recognizable throwback timbre to the mix and you have a truly sui generis tenor whose potential equals the greatest. (Let's hope he's not prone to overdoing either food or drink...).

An Unamplified Voice