Tenor Joseph Calleja triumphed in the face of adversity after he accepted a leading role at the Vienna State Opera just 90 minutes before the curtain went up and walked off the stage to immense critical acclaim.
Mr Calleja hit the headlines in the Austrian press and TV after one of the world's leading tenors and a hot favourite in Austria, Rolando VillazHn, unexpectedly pulled out of the first night of La Bohème after feeling unwell at the last minute.
The Maltese tenor's feat was all the more creditworthy given that he was already performing two roles at the State Opera at the time and especially because of the audience's stunned reaction when it was announced that Mr VillazHn would not be singing.
The Salzburger Nachrichten reported (as translated by Donald Arthur): "A shock for the audience at the Vienna State opera: Not until just before the beginning of the La Bohème performance they discovered that public favourite Rolando VillazHn would be dropping out. His voice was not in good shape... Disgraceful! Scandalous! Money back! The infuriated opera lovers... yelled. After all, they had paid 'enormously high ticket prices'.
"From an artistic point of view they had nothing to be upset about: After all, Joseph Calleja was available... (Mr) Calleja not only stepped in for his colleague, but he also made us totally forget his existence for at least two and a half hours."
The largest Austrian newspaper, Die Presse, was equally effusive: "Joseph Calleja... swiftly managed to allay the discontent.
He was (along with Boaz Daniel as Marcello) the best thing on this evening. (Mr) Calleja has a glorious, gratifyingly old-fashioned timbre, a terrific upper register and an ongoingly improving technique."
The Kurier Vienna, meanwhile, went one step further, saying: "The judgment of many people: A voice that radiates even more lyricism than VillazHn's tenor."
Mr Calleja told The Times that he was terrified when he was on stage as La Bohème was about to begin and heard the reaction of the crowd when they were told about the last minute change.
However, he was euphoric when the crowd got to their feet with shouts of "Bravo" at the end of the performance, particularly since he had won over the audience of one of his contemporaries. Both tenors are popular in the Austrian capital but Mr VillazHn, who is six years older than 29-year-old Mr Calleja, enjoys superstar status.
It was indeed a big week for the Maltese tenor, who sang three different roles - Nemorino in Elisir d'amor, Rodolfo in Bohème, and Alfredo in La Traviata - at the Vienna State Opera House in the space of eight days, which is virtually unheard of in the opera world.
The reviews for Traviata were also glowing, with Dur Kurier reporting: "Joseph Calleja, making his role debut in a performance that revealed him in superb vocal form... A magnificent achievement, which earned him the cheers of the audience."
To date, he has already sung seven different leading roles in the Austrian capital. Now in his fourth consecutive season, he has been booked until 2009/10.
This success also follows hot on the heels of his acclaimed debut at the end of last year at The Metropolitan Opera in New York where he has also been rebooked for several years to come. In his only Malta show this year, Mr Calleja will be performing in Mdina on July 7 with his soprano wife, Tatiana Lisnic, in a concert conducted by Brian Schembri.
Just six days later, the trio will be performing the same concert before a massive audience at the famous Henley Festival in the UK.
Tickets for the July 7 concert, which is organised by Renaissance Productions Ltd, are available from maltaticket.com and Exotique outlets.