REVIEWS: AARHUS FESTIVAL WEEK

Aarhus Stiftstidne

Calleja's Bulls-eye

“He fulfilled all expectations and then some! The success of the Gala Concert within the Festival Week 2009 was dependant on the soloists being on form. And they were Saturday evening and so raised the concert from the mere ordinary, to the sublime [...] the star of the night was of course Joseph Calleja! His first aria from Gounod's “Romeo and Juliet” showed off his vocal abilities; a vocal core of rare beauty, a clear, cultivated and sizeable voice projecting the notes in a seemingly easy and effortless way; dispensing astonishing diminuendos without any loss of intensity of expression. All served up with a generous helping of charm and generosity. A genuine bulls-eye!

Ole Straarup, Aarhus Stiftstidne, 31 August 2009
Tranlated from Danish to English by Alice Poulsen

Jyllands-Posten

“Joseph Calleja performed in Aarhus for the first time in 2006 at the Festival Classic concert and the audience were looking forward to hearing him again. This became evident when he walked on stage for his first aria – the famous balcony aria from Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette”. Calleja’s superb voice unfolded itself in all its powerful glory, from the outset. His bright future as a leading tenor is already here. And the concert continued with a romantic theme with known and loved music and arias from e.g. “La Gioconda”, “Falstaff” and “La Traviata."

Ole Bisbjerg, Jyllands-Posten, 31 August 2009
Tranlated from Danish to English by Alice Poulsen