UK critics sing "rare discovery" Maltese tenor's praises

Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja could not have hoped for a better response to his debut album, which was showered with rave reviews as it went on sale in the UK yesterday.

Words like "remarkable" and "extraordinary" have been flowing in critics' analyses of the 26-year old tenor whom many have described as the next Pavarotti.

No less than The Sunday Times Culture Magazine voted Calleja's album as the 'Classical CD of the Week'. Giving it an "outstanding" rating, the British quality paper said Calleja possesses a gem of a voice.

"Decca is clearly positioning this 26-year old from Malta as the label's ersatz Pavarotti," the supplement says, although adding that he has not reached that level as yet.

Mr Calleja, who has been under the guidance of distinguished tenor Paul Asciaq, last year signed an exclusive four-year contract with the prestigious record label Decca.

Recorded with Riccardo Chailly and the Orchestra Symphonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, three of the selections on the album, Tenor Arias, come from Verdi, including La Traviata, Macbeth and Rigoletto, while Puccini's Madama Butterfly and two Donizetti and Cilea arias are performed with authority and passion.

Overall it was a chorus of approval from the critics for Attard-born Calleja. Giving it four out of five marks, The Western Mail said that at the age of 26, he possesses "a voice of remarkable power and maturity".

The Observer described him as a rare discovery, evoking memories from Caruso to Domingo with the suppleness of his tone and the expressive, highly individual lyricism he brings to even the most familiar material.

The Birmingham Post said his voice was somewhat different from the usual can belto school, with a thrilling elegance of timbre (despite an occasional 'beat' in the delivery) and well-marshalled energy and rhythmic poise.

"On the whole, this is an encouraging debut, one which vanquishes any initial scepticism that the marketing bod(ie)s have been up to their tricks again."

One common critical remark made by reviewers was the need for Calleja to have more subtle control over breathing while The Birmingham Post criticises the album's poor tuning.

The Independent wrote about him: "Calleja has the kind of voice most 30-year old tenors would dream of: glossy, virile, lyrical and powerful - this boy is going far". And the Daily Telegraph wrote: "Calleja is a rare find. He has a clean, easy, high-lying voice with a pleasant burr to its timbre."

Contacted by The Times yesterday, Mr Calleja was relishing the moment though he was quick to point out that his feet were firmly planted on the ground.

"Though I do take notice of them, you have to take everything with a pinch of salt. In this field, one day you're up in the sky, the other you're not," Mr Calleja said, when asked whether he bothered with reviews.

Mr Calleja has done wonders to promote the beauty of opera locally in recent weeks. Tickets for his concerts with Brian Schembri at the Manoel Theatre and with Miriam Gauci at the Mediterranean Conference Centre sold like hot cakes, a very rare occurrence for Malta.

"I'll be very happy to see interest in opera in Malta increase. Let's keep our fingers crossed," he smiled.

One thing is sure - the response in Malta has been overwhelming in terms of sales after Tenor Arias was released weeks before the rest of Europe.

Exotique said that an extra stock of the album had to be ordered from Decca, with sales far exceeding the norm.