The stuff that dreams are made of
The program is mostly the standards of the lyric tenor repertoire, with a few forays into heavier and deeper material (a particularly strong scena and aria of Gabriele Adorno: “O inferno! Amelia qui!… Sento avvampar nell’anima”). But in every single selection, Calleja brings astonishingly elegant phrasing and a new clarity of tone that is uniformly infused with a lush beauty that signals the tenor’s growing confidence. The fluttery vibrato that some listeners found objectionable has largely been refined out of the voice—it’s still there, but not nearly as intrusive as it once was. And above all, Calleja’s singing is so filled with ebullience and sheer joy that I found myself unable to stop smiling through much of the CD.
The CD begins with “Che gelida manina” from Bohème, and if you are tempted to roll your eyes at this familiar piece being sung yet again—well, cynics beware. This is the most beautifully sung and sensitively phrased rendition of the piece in recent memory. Calleja sings Rodolfo with an ease and naturalness, high notes tossed of without strain, long phrases sustained and elegant. The sound (forgive the cliché) is exactly what “liquid gold” was meant to mean. The top notes are shimmering and gleaming, Rodolfo’s simple story told effortlessly and movingly.
Next is a less exciting “O soave fanciulla” with soprano Aleksandra Kurzak. The fault here is Marco Armiliato’s insensitive conducting (though he does quite well with most of the disc). The orchestra is simply too loud in the climaxes, forcing Calleja and Kurzak to become slightly shrieky.
After Calleja stirringly shows his dramatic chops with the Simon Boccanegra scena, we return to familiar territory with Hoffman’s Kleinzach aria and the two tenor arias from Tosca. Kleinzach is bumptiously and cleverly sung with high notes that are ravishing. Both Tosca pieces are exquisitely sung, especially “Recondita armonia”—Calleja does his absolute best in the more romantic and joyous arias. “E lucevan le stelle” seems a step too heavy for him, but here again his excellent phrasing and variety of dynamics carry the day.
Tracks 7 and 8 transition to the Faust from Boito’s Mefistofele, followed by a rendition of Gounod’s familiar “Salut, demeure chaste et pure” that is almost indescribably beautiful. There are moments in this aria that recall Björling and early Pavarotti, but Calleja puts a personal stamp on the aria. There is a longing vulnerability in this aria that he captures completely. The same could be said for the two romances of Des Grieux from Act 1 of Manon Lescaut—charming, youthful, filled with the excitement of first love.
The disc finishes with Calleja moving from strength to strength with “Ah fuyez” from Manon, “Quando le sere al placido” from Luisa Miller, “Ma se m’e forza perderti” from Ballo, and a lovely duet from Bizet’s Les Pécheurs de perles, where Miss Kurzak really shines with her lush soprano.
Aside from the cacophonous “O soave fanciulla” and a few tempo issues, Armiliato does a fine, sensitive job in leading the nuanced playing of the L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the fine singing of the Choeur d’hommes du Grand Theatre de Geneve, particularly strong in the Hoffmann music.
Mr. Calleja triumphs with this wonderful disc. He has mastered the bel canto style, and has learned how to sing dramatic music without resorting to sobs or pushing. He has also found tremendous improvement in breath support—I defy you to find an unsupported phrase on this entire disc. Listening to his current vocal estate is a sheer pleasure. It is rare indeed to find a single singer’s disc without a single misstep or unwise choice. The Maltese Tenor is an absolutely essential addition to today’s opera lover’s collection.
Just leaving LPR and must declare this was a concert I will never forget! So intimate and JC was just slight of using his full voice – quite intoxicating. Tosca, Pearl Fishers, La Boh all represented tonight. More later (meeting hubby for dinner) but Luca Pisaroni was a most welcome addition to the evening! Yes, the man can sing, but his assets don’t stop there
Let’s hope he’s really the sun and not another shooting star who will burn up in the opera sky.
Here, here! It does seem, though, that he has planned carefully and well.
Hear hear!
…the voice is unsupported giving it a vibrato of a chipmunk,the top is as small as the bottom and one can clearly see on his video the tongue going back in the middle voice singing this is a voice which does not sit in the body, but I must say great recording engineering again making something out of nothing.
You are right. Also, he is simply flat much of the time. Flatness is a result of bad technique, no matter how you dress it: “The voice is too big to be expected to sing in tune”, “it’s not flat it’s just dark”, “it sounds flat because of the vibrato”, it’s an ear/listening issue”. No. I don’t care how great an “artist” someone is perceived to be, if they can’t handle the very basics, the black-and-white of singing the notes laid forth on the page.
and all those who will come to rescue him from my hard words( if i am not censored here ) I have heard the voice live and to support the comments on his stage abilities this a zero in the acting department standing still in a boheme while the rest of the cast ran around him like chickens.
Warning – major pedantic stuff ahead.
The exact quote is “We are such stuff as dreams are made on“. I should know, because I have just seen Ralph Fiennes in The Tempest.
I blame Sam Spade.
Why is this quote so often truncated? I have always been fascinated by the second part of the sentence:
We are such stuff
As dreams are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.
Yes, we were “asleep” before we were born, and we will be “asleep” again.
“To sleep, perchance to dream-
ay, there’s the rub.”
“And our little life is rounded with a sleep” can also mean that our dreams add another dimension to our life.
Nice to have a quiet literary conversation!
Ha! “‘Sleep no more’”
I have always liked him. I was lucky enough to see hi in a dress rehearsal for Sonnambula years ago in Zurich, and during the break i found myself behind him in the cafeteria line. we had a short conversation about how to correctly pronounce his last name! Super nice guy!
I would love to find him behind me!!!!!!
*Joseph Calleja is the genuine item — an identifiable voice that is great both on-stage and on dvd.
*While the acting is not outstanding, he does it as well as the majority of tenors on the Met stage and to quote the great Zinka in “The Last Prima Donnas” speaking about sopranos, “when they say a great singing actress, there is not too much of a voice.”
*He knows what’s right for his voice and makes good choices.
* He is also a very sweet and gentle man.
*Bravo Joseph!
I just HAVE to post this picture (much cuter than the bland blond Mojca Erdmann, and BY FAR):
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110610/local/Opera-star-and-dedicated-dad.369905
This voice of his is so beautiful and it sounds effortless. The “Boheme ” tracts are so beautiful–he really sings from the soul. I have never heard anything so beautiful as his voice still with the little tremble but glad he has it.
How will these differences of opionion be solved? We can only call on Father (Mother?) Time!
If fistfull is right things will collapse, although perhaps not quite so quickly as they did for Villazon. But while not wanting to deny fistfull’s discernment, I do hope he is wrong, because we need for him to be wrong. Which is what makes these arguments a bit painful.
yes please let me be wrong……..for the sake of good singing and the art…let me , be, wrong……time will tell
httvp://www.npr.org/2011/10/21/141593584/tenor-joseph-calleja-and-friends
Great Guy…One of the sweetest and most natural singers i have known….