Notes and Editorial Reviews
This CD, coming so quickly on the heels of the one by Rolando Villazon, bodes well for tenorizing in the next couple of decades. Tenor Joseph Calleja is only 26 years old, but this debut recital already presents a polished artist. Calleja's repertoire overlaps somewhat with Villazon's, but the latter's voice is darker and heftier and he probably will wind up in the Cavaradossi/Don Carlo camp, while Calleja remains in Donizetti and lighter Verdi--not to mention some French roles. His tone is bright and shiny, and he has a quick vibrato that adds intensity and a touch of plangency.
You only have to listen to the first note of Maurizio's "La dolcissima effige"--a lovely
piano F-on-the-staff--to realize
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that this man is an artist. Similarly, the close of the Duke's "Parmi veder le lagrime" ends with a trill, followed by a lovely diminuendo, and the second verse of "Possente amor" is classily embellished (although its ultimate note, a high-D, is not a prize-winner). Alfredo's Act 2 recitative, aria, and cabaletta are simply brilliantly sung, with an impetuosity and urgency that gives the music "face", and the sadness in Macduff's aria rings absolutely true, even out of context. Edgardo's last-act scene from Lucia rarely works on CD, but here Calleja takes us through all of the character's feelings, from anger to despair. In short, this light-ish voiced Maltese tenor is a class act, and unless he opts for, say, Radames or Chenier in the next 15 years, he should be a star. The presentation is one of Decca's best, with Riccardo Chailly offering strong support; a chorus and other soloists are provided when needed. The sound is superb. [5/20/2004]
--Robert Levine, ClassicsToday.com Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
La traviata: De' miei bollenti spiriti by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Joseph Calleja (Tenor),
Lydia Catherine Easley (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Riccardo Chailly
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Verdi Grand Symphonic Orchestra Milan
Period: Romantic
Written: 1853; Italy
Date of Recording: 06/2003
Venue: Auditorium, Milan, Italy
Length: 7 Minutes 5 Secs.
Language: Italian
Notes: This selection begins with "Lunge da lei..."
2.
Macbeth: Ah, la paterna mano by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Joseph Calleja (Tenor)
Conductor:
Riccardo Chailly
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Verdi Grand Symphonic Orchestra Milan
Period: Romantic
Written: 1847/1865; Italy
Date of Recording: 06/2003
Venue: Auditorium, Milan, Italy
Length: 3 Minutes 47 Secs.
Language: Italian
Notes: This selection begins with "O figli, o figli miei..."
3.
Rigoletto: Questa o quella by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Joseph Calleja (Tenor)
Conductor:
Riccardo Chailly
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Verdi Grand Symphonic Orchestra Milan
Period: Romantic
Written: 1851; Italy
Date of Recording: 06/2003
Venue: Auditorium, Milan, Italy
Length: 1 Minutes 43 Secs.
Language: Italian
4.
Rigoletto: Parmi veder le lagrime...Possente amor mi chiama by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Joseph Calleja (Tenor)
Conductor:
Riccardo Chailly
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Verdi Grand Symphonic Orchestra Milan
Written: 1851
Date of Recording: 06/2003
Venue: Auditorium, Milan, Italy
Length: 10 Minutes 20 Secs.
Language: Italian
Notes: This selection begins with "Ella mi fu rapital!"
5.
Rigoletto: La donna è mobile by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Joseph Calleja (Tenor)
Conductor:
Riccardo Chailly
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Verdi Grand Symphonic Orchestra Milan
Period: Romantic
Written: 1851; Italy
Date of Recording: 06/2003
Venue: Auditorium, Milan, Italy
Length: 2 Minutes 9 Secs.
Language: Italian
6.
Lucia di Lammermoor: Fra poco a me ricovero by Gaetano Donizetti
Performer:
Giovanni Battista Parodi (Baritone),
Joseph Calleja (Tenor)
Conductor:
Riccardo Chailly
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Verdi Grand Symphonic Orchestra Milan,
Verdi Chorus Milan
Period: Romantic
Written: 1835; Italy
Date of Recording: 06/11/2003
Venue: Auditorium, Milan, Italy
Length: 15 Minutes 49 Secs.
Language: Italian
Notes: This selection begins with "Tombe degli avi miei..."
7.
Adriana Lecouvreur: La dolcissima effigie by Francesco Cilèa
Performer:
Joseph Calleja (Tenor)
Conductor:
Riccardo Chailly
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Verdi Grand Symphonic Orchestra Milan
Period: Romantic
Written: 1902; Italy
Date of Recording: 09/2003
Venue: Auditorium, Milan, Italy
Length: 2 Minutes 32 Secs.
Language: Italian
Notes: This selection begins with "Tombe degli avi miei..."
8.
L'Arlesiana: E la solita storia...Anch'io vorrei "Lamento" by Francesco Cilèa
Performer:
Joseph Calleja (Tenor)
Conductor:
Riccardo Chailly
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Verdi Grand Symphonic Orchestra Milan
Period: Romantic
Written: 1897/1937; Italy
Date of Recording: 09/2003
Venue: Auditorium, Milan, Italy
Length: 4 Minutes 23 Secs.
Language: Italian
9.
Madama Butterfly: Addio, fiorito asil by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:
Joseph Calleja (Tenor)
Conductor:
Riccardo Chailly
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Verdi Grand Symphonic Orchestra Milan
Period: Romantic
Written: 1904; Italy
Date of Recording: 09/2003
Venue: Auditorium, Milan, Italy
Length: 2 Minutes 8 Secs.
Language: Italian
10.
L'Elisir d'Amore: Quanto è bella! Quanto è cara! by Gaetano Donizetti
Performer:
Joseph Calleja (Tenor)
Conductor:
Riccardo Chailly
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Verdi Grand Symphonic Orchestra Milan
Period: Romantic
Written: 1832; Italy
Date of Recording: 03/25/2003
Venue: Auditorium, Milan, Italy
Length: 2 Minutes 27 Secs.
Language: Italian
11.
Lucia di Lammermoor: Fra poco a me ricovero by Gaetano Donizetti
Performer:
Joseph Calleja (Tenor)
Conductor:
Riccardo Chailly
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Verdi Grand Symphonic Orchestra Milan
Period: Romantic
Written: 1835; Italy
Date of Recording: 06/2003
Venue: Auditorium, Milan, Italy
Length: 6 Minutes 54 Secs.
Language: Italian
Notes: This selection begins with "Tombe degli avi miei..."
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