Reviews

 

"[...] a voice of great expressiveness in every register."

RECITAL, STADTTHEATER, FÜRTH: Günter Greb, Fürther Nachrichten, November 2005

 

 

 

REVIEWS: RECITALS & CONCERTS


Reviews of various recitals, concerts and gala.

 

 

Stadttheater, Fürth, Germany

19 November 2005

· Münchner Rundfunkorchester
 

FÜrther Nachrichten
Clarion and Gentle Tones
Tenor Joseph Calleja Triumphs in a Stadttheater Gala

A theatre performance touted as a gala always promise a special glory. At opera galas, well-known singing stars sing the hits from their voice range, sometimes in a fairly arbitrary sequence. The opera gala in the Fürth Stadttheater with tenor Joseph Calleja and the Munich Radio Orchestra under the direction of Maurizio Barbacini may have been a total source of enjoyment for opera fans in the sold-out house, yet the musical quality and the program planning were a far cry in terms of quality from the usual event of this nature.

Born in Malta, tenor Joseph Calleja, whose voice and appearance are reminiscent of Luciano Pavarotti, has already sung the big starring roles in his range in a number of major opera houses and been frenetically applauded there – and all this at the tender age of 27. With the aria “Una furtiva lagrima” from Donizetti’s opera L’elisir d’amore and the Duke’s canzona “Questa o quella” from Verdi’s Rigoletto he may have selected familiar tenor hits, yet the further selections from less familiar operas by Charles Gounod and Jules Massenet made it quite clear that he has more to offer than just a clarion high C. He also possesses the considerable skill to sing gentle tones in a marvelous piano.

Familiar Hits
Especially the aria “Le rêve” from Massenet’s Manon (this ding-dong wrote Manon Lescaut, which of course is by Puccini) offered him an opportunity for expressive and nuanced performance based on a voice of great expressiveness in every register. May he be forgiven for ending the program with such familiar warhorses as Leoncavallo’s “Mattinata” and sentimental favorites by Ernesto de Curtis. The audience thanked him with standing ovations and was handsomely rewarded with several encores.

Günter Greb