(TOP) Production folder of the Fort Manoel concert. (BOTTOM) Spectacular fireworks after the concert. Photo: David Cilia.
REVIEWS: RECITALS & CONCERTS
Reviews of various recitals, concerts and gala.
Fort Manoel, Valletta, Malta
08 july 2006
Joseph Calleja, tenor
Tatiana Lisnic, soprano
Elena Zaremba, mezzo-soprano
Vittorio Vitelli, Baritone
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko
Kultur
Malta: Open-Air with Star Tenor Joseph Calleja
Lisnic and Calleja Thrill the Audience in Frankfurt
Malta – a tourist paradise with countless hours of sunshine, historical buildings and dream landscapes. And with an ancient musical culture! Star tenor Joseph Calleja, born in Malta in 1978, long an important voice on the way to a world career, was roundly cheered at magnificent Fort Manoel.
Calleja is a highly prized tenor at the Vienna State Opera: in 1997 he won a Belvedere Prize. Triumphs in Berlin, Barcelona, London, Salzburg, Munich, Washington followed. Vienna has long treasured him as Elvino, the “Rigoletto” Duke, Nemorino, During the 2006/2007 season he will be performing on the Ring in “Traviata”, “Roberto Devereux” and “L’Elisir d’amore”. Calleja: “I’m really looking forward to Vienna. A wonderful operatic audience!”
Fort Manoel, built in 1732 on a peninsula across from the capital of Valletta under Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena, has a seating capacity for five thousand people, an enchanting ruin with a view of the sea bay, the capital and the splendidly illuminated dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral, one of 346 churches.
Calleja with a request concert programme – together with his wife Tatiana Lisnic, mezzo Elena Zaremba and baritone Vittorio Vitelli, accompanied by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under Vesily Petrenko, which provided some show effects. Blood and thunder are allowed with the Ballet Suite from Gounod’s “Faust” and the “William Tell” Overture. Elena Zaremba contributed the Habañera from “Carmen”, Vittorio Vitelli the “Pagliacci” prologue, Tatiana Lisnic “O mio babbino caro” from “Gianni Schicchi”.
Then – Calleja in the spotlight: in “Werther”, “Elisir”, “Rigoletto” he revealed energy, a sense of effect. His technique was convincing, musicianship. A touch of humour came about in the encore finale: he came out with his colleagues for a joint “O sole mio” and the “Brindisi” in a quartet arrangement. And after the gigantic fireworks, the audience cheered blissfully. Calleja would certainly be an attraction for a gala up here!
Oliver A. Láng
(Translation by Donald Arthur)
THE TIMES OF MALTA
Joseph Calleja enthrals his home audience
The Maltese internationally acclaimed tenor Joseph Calleja, performed for a 3,500-strong audience that filled the former parade ground on Manoel Island, on Saturday.
He was in the good and hand-picked company of his Moldovan, pregnant wife and equally acclaimed soprano Tatiana Lisnic, Russian mezzo-soprano Elena Zaremba and Italian baritone Vittorio Vitelli.
The sold-out classical music concert, organised by Renaissance Productions Ltd, featured the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Vasily Petrenko.
RPL directors Amabile Zammit and Anton Tabone said it was the largest classical concert to be organised in Malta. It had been launched about a year ago, and the Maltese tenor, who has been appearing in the world's top theatres, expressed a high level of excitement to be performing in his homeland.
"I have never been so excited about a concert in my life - as it has been my baby," he had told The Times from LA.
Mr Calleja's joy on Saturday was visible in his beaming smile after every performance. He dedicated pieces to folk singer Frans Baldacchino, il-Budaj, who passed away a few days ago and who, the tenor said, would have liked to be there on Saturday but was certainly watching from above, and to the women in his life: "my mother, my wife, my adorable Clara (his daughter) and, of course, Collette (a family friend)".
The concert started around 35 minutes late due to traffic in Gzira, which was also celebrating its feast. An impatient audience broke out into a slow clap now and again to urge the performance to start.
Apologising for the delay, Dr Tabone and Mr Zammit said yesterday the event was a huge challenge and though they would have preferred to tackle it the right way 100 per cent they acknowledge that it was "not as perfect".
They explained they had decided to delay the start in view of the fact that a few hundred people were still waiting to drive into Manoel Island at 9 p.m. when the concert was billed to start. Although both the President and the Prime Minister were there on time, the promoters had asked them to delay their arrival because, due to protocol, the concert would have had to start once the President was seated.
The Gzira feast and problems in the level of collaboration between the promoters and the police exacerbated the problem. In addition, Dr Tabone and Mr Zammit said, the turnout was much bigger than expected.
"This has served as a lesson to us and we shall now work on different parking arrangements and devise ways to avoid traffic congestions. The first opportunity to put this into practice would be this coming Saturday when RPL will hold The Malta International Fashion Show, also at Manoel Island," they said.
Still somewhat of a construction site in the process of restoration, albeit grand in its raw state, Fort Manoel was enhanced by the unique backdrop of an illuminated Valletta, and a starry night sky reflected in the sea between.
The concert's repertoire consisted of a mix of the familiar and unfamiliar. Mr Calleja, who had been involved in the organisation, had said he wanted the audience to hear something they liked and, at the same time, be challenged by something they had not heard before. The first part was French, while the second was Italian.
"I helped bring this kind of event to Malta because I want the Maltese to have the best," he had said. "They have always turned out for my performances and I wanted to thank them and repay their loyalty."
The concert could not have ended on a brighter note, with a fireworks display lighting up the sky right above the stage in a fine-tuned and spectacular coordination the moment the music faded out.
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GALA CONCERT FORT MANOEL, VALLETTA, MALTA
8 July 2006 · 21:00
Joseph Calleja · Tatiana Lisnic · Elena Zaremba · Vittorio Vitelli
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra / Vasily Petrenko.
