The début of the twenty-eight-year-old Joseph Calleja, in a revival of the Otto Schenk production of “Rigoletto,” must count as one of the more interesting in the Met’s history. The Maltese tenor (in the role of the Duke) possesses a voice of extraordinary sweetness and warmth, as well as considerable personal charm."
THE NEW YORKER,
6 November 2006
REVIEWS: RIGOLETTO
On 25 October 2006 Joseph Calleja made his debut with the Metropolitan Opera Company, New York. The role was The Duke in Verdi's Rigoletto:
The New York Times (nytimes.com)
"I want to hear the highly touted Mr. Calleja again because his singing on this night was curiously uneven. His voice is rich and expressive; his sound has body and carries well. There is a slightly nasal quality to his tone that sometimes came across as a stamp of character but at other times seemed evidence of tightness, especially in his top notes. And his execution was overly casual, as in his tendency to clip off the endings of phrases. Still, there are winning qualities to his singing and he projects youthful energy."
Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times, 28 October 2006
Read the whole review here.
The New York Post (nypost.com)
[...] Joseph Calleja as the philandering Duke, revealing a penetrating accurate tenor that warmed in tone as the evening progressed ... "
Clive Barnes, The New York Post, 30 October 2006
Read the whole review here.
The New Yorker (newyorker.com)
"The début of the twenty-eight-year-old Joseph Calleja, in a revival of the Otto Schenk production of “Rigoletto,” must count as one of the more interesting in the Met’s history. The Maltese tenor (in the role of the Duke) possesses a voice of extraordinary sweetness and warmth, as well as considerable personal charm—factors that almost completely disguise a somewhat wayward sense of rhythm and a not-quite-complete technique."
The New Yorker, 6 November 2006
Image Gallery
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PHOTO CREDITS: (01) Joseph Calleja as the Duke of Mantua
(02) Ekaterina Siurina as Gilda with Joseph Calleja.
(03) (l. to r.) Joseph Calleja as the Duke of Mantua, James Courtney as Monterone, and Juan Pons in the title role of Rigoletto.
CLICK FOR LARGER PHOTOS All photos Marty Sohl / Metropolitan Opera
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RIGOLETTO, The Metropolitan Opera, New York
25 & 28 October; 2, 6, 9 November; 8, 12 & 16 December 2006
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