What a sound this man produces!Calleja impressed me the first time I heard him and has continued to grow and develop in his artistry,of the present crop of Lirico Spinto tenors he is my personal favorite but I also admire Kauffman's big,dark, sound and vocal agility. Let arm chair critics, pick the voices apart, Opera fans are famous for that, with many believing any and all competent singers evaporated in the 50's Calleja and Kauffman will be judged on how they move their audiences.
The sound depth and his middle register this anyway wrong solution - bar mistake which can be remedied easily technically. I have to understand one Fitz65. We receive one of the most beautiful tenor sounds of our age together with all this from him!
Mr Calleja has a beautiful sound! As if Jusi Björling and Pavarotti would sing with his tone, though in truth with a slightly nasal phonation. This nasality is because the soft palade bordering the rear of the oral cavity is let down extremely in his vocal technic!
De prime abord,on entend une touche de Jussi Björling dans ses résonnances un peu bouchées.Dommage qu'il n'ait pas sû comme lui se servir de ce métal pour faire briller davantage la voix,en particulier l'aigu.
I have heard him in Sonnambula, Puritani, Rigoletto, Traviata, Boheme, Maria Stuarda, L'elisir d'amore, Lucia di Lammermoor, Macbeth - as well as many concerts.
He has made GREAT progress since I first heard him in 2001. His technique is just wonderful!
Joe, Anthony Tommassini (NYTimes 7-13-09) says of your singing,"Figuring out technical details". I don't know what the fuck he's talking about. You sure sound like you know what you are doing. GOD kissed those golden chords. See you at the MET. Leo, N.Y.
I am a big lover of Calleja's voice but I still think that Luciano is the King of tenors. I do hear a bit of Luciano's voice in Callejas but there is DEFINITELY the Bjorling sound especially live. Incidentally - those who think that Calleja's top lacks focus think again. I have now heard him sing a High C on stage (MET 125 Gala) and 3 performances of Rigoletto. Not only his top is focused but its "laser beam" focused just like Jussis!
Ha ha, no, Mooorhe, I was just teasing him/her. I do think though that Joseph is far too individual of timbre to sound like anyone but himself. Which of course is exactly as it should be. If he evokes anyone, Pavarotti is the last one that comes to mind. I can hear colours of Bjorling, Tagliavini, & Schipa, with the odd Gigli influence, but not Pav!
Indeed, that's what is part of the attraction of Calleja: his sound is his own, unlike so many of his generation (and older generations (Carreras)), he does not seek to immitate at all.
I don't think I've heard other singers take on qualities of Pavarotti's, I get the feeling that Florez tries to immitate it in some ways. But I doubt anyone could replicate those ringing bright tones effectively.
The voice sounds similar to Bjorling initially, but I think they are different under closer listening, Bjorling's was more silvery and liquid to my ears.
Calleja looks to be a heavier tenor than Pavarotti was, his attempt at singing Arturo wasn't great, but I hope he does proper justice to the spinto roles that have been disgraced by Licitra and Cura, once his voice matures further.
I do think that Bjorling had more focus to his top voice, & a little more authority to his lower notes.
I'm surprised that you consider Calleja's to be a stronger voice than Pavarotti's. I felt the reverse, that Pav's was weightier & more spinto. But then, you have heard both men live. I have not.
It always puzzles me when great voices are imitated. It only condemns the mimic to vocal mediocrity. Each voice has its own unique beauty. Why be a 2nd rate version of somebody else?
I never heard Pavarotti live, and seeing as I'm quite young, he probably wouldn't have been worth hearing.
Calleja has quite a focused top and it's taken a while to get a good top for him I feel (a reviewer called his top notes on his CDs 'white and strained' to which I have to agree, they were pretty bad) but the development is phenomenal, the Bb here was neither white nor strained, it was beautiful.
Helo Mooorhe. Interesting analysis. Having listened to Calleja's cd's, I would disagree with the reviewer about his top notes sounding strained. He was referring to his C's & C#'s I think, not his Bb's. I would say they were a little white & spread compared to the rest of his voice, but he was only 25 at the time, & I'm sure they have long since settled down. Bjorling also had a weak lower voice in his teens & early 20's, his chest register being allowed to develop in its own time like Calleja.
It's interesting to note that Calleja assumed he would be able to go in with Rodolfo, as Pavarotti did, and found it too heavy for his voice. So he dropped it until around now.
There is something funny about what he does to his vowels, it could just be a diction issue, but some vowels sound wrong. It's the 'eh' sound he seems to do weirdly at times at 1:19 for example.
I like the way he builds the high notes into the text, but he does some sliding up to them on occasion.
I think he does leave things to be desired with his low notes. He needs to build them into his line a bit better, sometimes he drops down awkwardly. I noticed this when I saw him as the Duke, in Ella mi fu rapita, there are a couple of drops that he didn't handle very well. This problem will be easily remedied though I think.
Pavarotti's vocal weight was difficult to judge I think, he could sing Bellini and Donizetti to near perfection (Calleja's attempts at the former haven't been great) while singing the Duke and Rodolfo to perfection, while giving a formidable stab at Riccardo.
Calleja isn't so great at the lighter stuff, but is very good at the lyric stuff and has a huge voice, so I'm inclined to think that his voice is naturally heavier; could be very wrong though.
Certainly I would say that Joseph has more than sufficient technique to sing any of the lighter roles, as he can sing mezza voce superbly on any note in his range. Whether he would feel temperamentally disposed to reigning in his voice for entire roles, I couldn't say. His voice has resonance & amplitude, but is very much a lyric voice now. He should not attempt stage roles for spinto, as his voice has already found its fach in the lyric repertoire. In 10 years we'll see how it develops.
I wouldn't class mezza voce as a technical feature that can help one toss off the high C#, high B and 6-ish high As of A te o cara while maintaining an impeccable line, as Pavarotti did. His voice isn't built to handle Bellni tessitura like Pavarotti's was, that's what I meant by lighter roles.
His voice is one with a natural ability to do mezza voce, but I wish he would include more nuance in his phrasing.
I wouldn't be too sure on that. I heard a Sonnambula of his which was terrific and his recent recording of Tebaldo garnered great reviews and reactions. I did hear him in Puritani when he was about 25. The A te o cara was very nice but his high notes in the last act did go backwards. Then again it could have been the young age - less refined technique - and the wrong decision to sing Puritani so young. I think he would be great if he sung the role today but with the last act transposed down.
He did reckless daily exercises from soft to loud and loud to soft throughoutt he whole range with his teacher Paul Asciak. I think we tend to think too quickly that lyric tenors have innate lyric abilities and everything comes easy. I am sure he was predisposed, but he also worked like VERY few do today.
I'm sure Calleja does work very hard; it shows in his singing.
However, as I *think* Calleja mentioned, and Corelli mentioned before him, some voices are more naturally suited to piano singing. Corelli is an example of a singer whose voice scaled down beautifully and without much struggle but Pavarotti's naturally didn't. He had to put in a lot of work to get the beautiful pianissimo he had in the '60s and early '70s, when he didn't work so hard later on, it showed.
I think Calleja's voice is one suited for singing piano, personally. He has brought this out with his technique of course. A truly splendid tenor and I hear that he has improved even more since I last saw him as the Duke in September. Unfortunately I don't see the Duke on his schedule at all. If he's dropped it I'll be distraught, he was fabulous the night I saw him.
I love Calleja'a voice with its wonderful, old fashioned sound. He is not yet 31 years old and still developing as a tenor. As good as is is now, one suspects that by the time he is 35, he will be remarkable.
Fantastic voice....but I think he covers too much. He often covers notes that most baritones would sing open. It gives his voice a muffled, nasal cast on these occasions....and this isn't naturally the case. For example, when he sings the last note of the line "di bellezze diverse", or the first note of the line "e te, beltade ignota". There is no need for a tenor to cover those notes, yet he does. And it just doesn't do his voice justice. Still, an ever improving and brilliant singer.
very interesting evaluation with which I agree. Despite the sound being glorious it is also true that certain passages are covered too much. When he doesnt do this the sound is even better.
He doesn't cover at all, his voice is very open. But he doesn't allow the lower register to muscle its way into the bridging notes. He maintains a head register dominated technique, which is precisely why his voice is so free, & the vibrato is quick, relaxed, & virile. His technique is very close to flawless, & the last thing he should do is open up his bridging notes. That's the first disastrous step along the road to the unravelling of the technique & a short career. Look at Villazon!
Thank you my friend! I suspect you can hear echos of Ferruccio in Joseph's singing. Unsurprisingly, he was made to listen at great length to Tagliavini, Gigli, & Schipa while being taught the same bel canto technique. I think we can safely say that it paid off!
Yes indeed. There are echoes of Ferruccio and the technique is a wonder. And lets not forget intelligence manifested in choice as well as interpretatuon. His singing is never distasteful; always elegant....and let's be honest occasionally, especially eariler, a little nasal(solved recently), but, when I heard him in London at St John's Smith Square in 2006, he made me cry.
I will be seeing Joseph for the 4th time live in April at the Met. I saw him previously at the Met, the Lyric, and the Kennedy Center. The voice is huge. That's not the most impressive part of his singing though. He "emits" notes in a very classical way. There's no forcing, just glorious emission of notes. It is a wonder to behold.
Never mind the low rating. Its Francis Nouvion from the historical tenors website clicking away with at least 18 different user names. He is a crazy old fart stalking anything with Calleja spreading comments how small his voice is etc etc. I have heard this chap live and everytime he blew the roof off the house. Thats how loud he sounded. In any case the incredible receptions he receives anywhere he goes speak for themselves.
Lol, I saw that Domingo was coming back for more on the Met's site, I'm guessing he'll do what he did with Chenier and transpose it so it's almost a baritone role.
I've never been to the Met unfortunately, been to Covent Garden, but not the Met. How does one sneak in at intermission? Lol
I'm looking into seeing his Rodolfo in Munich, but I'm more interested in seeing Florez in I Puritani in Bologna and La fille du regiment in Barcelona.
I am in no way the chairman of any Domingo rooting club but Domingo, abeit transposed down, sang a very good performance at least as far as the broadcast was concerned. He said he was going to sing a semitone or a full tone down and, in fairness DeLucia did this and worse and is called great. I think Domingo should have retired years ago and you cannot print what I think of him singing Simon Boccanegra next season but here he sang well.
Wrong repertoire? Why? Joseph has a huge lyric voice that never EVER sounds to me to be under duress. He's far too smart to make repertoire choices that aren't wise for his voice. Don't complain about him singing Tosca when he sings arias in recital. Have you heard the voice live?
What a great singer. Listen to the perfect B flat hit right in the middle and to the last phrase "sei tu" perfectly in tune. Compare this with the supposedly and contemporary "lirico spintos"...he brings them to shame.
Wow! I was there for this concert. I don't think you would have said its the wrong repertoire for him had you been there. He literally blew the roof off with the power of his voice. Having said that I agree that Tosca as an entire role is early. Is he singing it?
In any case there is not one pushed note in this rendition and I dare say there is no one who can sing it this easily nowadays. When was the last time you guys heard him live?
This performance is great, lyric tenors are wonderful for this aria. But I don't think Calleja is anywhere near ready for Cavaradossi... He's only just starting Rodolfo I think.
I agree, he is best young tenor of the tenor of today.
What a sound this man produces!Calleja impressed me the first time I heard him and has continued to grow and develop in his artistry,of the present crop of Lirico Spinto tenors he is my personal favorite but I also admire Kauffman's big,dark, sound and vocal agility. Let arm chair critics, pick the voices apart, Opera fans are famous for that, with many believing any and all competent singers evaporated in the 50's Calleja and Kauffman will be judged on how they move their audiences.
intelegentable 2 months ago
That is beautiful singing. Bravo!
atenorforjesus 6 months ago
he has amazing presence on stage. :o)
baldassare01 7 months ago
Why oh why must people pick a voice (any voice) to pieces?
I never realised that it was JUST a science!
I think too many people have lost the knack of just listening to a voice,instead of analysing it beyond redemption!
I listen to opera for the sheer sound of the singers,NOT to dissect their vocal capabilities.
MrSwifts31 8 months ago
The sound depth and his middle register this anyway wrong solution - bar mistake which can be remedied easily technically. I have to understand one Fitz65. We receive one of the most beautiful tenor sounds of our age together with all this from him!
MrSolarisboy 8 months ago
Mr Calleja has a beautiful sound! As if Jusi Björling and Pavarotti would sing with his tone, though in truth with a slightly nasal phonation. This nasality is because the soft palade bordering the rear of the oral cavity is let down extremely in his vocal technic!
MrSolarisboy 8 months ago
just so nasal.shame.
hobo197 1 year ago
@hobo197 it's where his voice is, naturally. some people sound that way. it's called timbre.
devastaticon 1 year ago
De prime abord,on entend une touche de Jussi Björling dans ses résonnances un peu bouchées.Dommage qu'il n'ait pas sû comme lui se servir de ce métal pour faire briller davantage la voix,en particulier l'aigu.
abracadabranque 1 year ago
Comment removed
Englishtenor2 2 years ago
Wonderful!!
Joguti1 2 years ago
Great singing by Calleja!
I have heard him in Sonnambula, Puritani, Rigoletto, Traviata, Boheme, Maria Stuarda, L'elisir d'amore, Lucia di Lammermoor, Macbeth - as well as many concerts.
He has made GREAT progress since I first heard him in 2001. His technique is just wonderful!
gatticasazza 2 years ago 2
Joe, Anthony Tommassini (NYTimes 7-13-09) says of your singing,"Figuring out technical details". I don't know what the fuck he's talking about. You sure sound like you know what you are doing. GOD kissed those golden chords. See you at the MET. Leo, N.Y.
Leonnidik 2 years ago
superbe !! il est aussi bon que pavarotti dans cet air bravo!!!!!!
portaix 2 years ago
Is this St John's Smith Square?
tagliavini 2 years ago
I am a big lover of Calleja's voice but I still think that Luciano is the King of tenors. I do hear a bit of Luciano's voice in Callejas but there is DEFINITELY the Bjorling sound especially live. Incidentally - those who think that Calleja's top lacks focus think again. I have now heard him sing a High C on stage (MET 125 Gala) and 3 performances of Rigoletto. Not only his top is focused but its "laser beam" focused just like Jussis!
Jussi1946 2 years ago
bjorling
vladimirmoscoso 2 years ago
My god, the opening phrase sounded eerily like pavarotti...
tamerlano 2 years ago
Comment removed
hiyadroogs 2 years ago
What? Calleja much better than Pavarotti?
Mooorhe 2 years ago
Ha ha, no, Mooorhe, I was just teasing him/her. I do think though that Joseph is far too individual of timbre to sound like anyone but himself. Which of course is exactly as it should be. If he evokes anyone, Pavarotti is the last one that comes to mind. I can hear colours of Bjorling, Tagliavini, & Schipa, with the odd Gigli influence, but not Pav!
hiyadroogs 2 years ago
Indeed, that's what is part of the attraction of Calleja: his sound is his own, unlike so many of his generation (and older generations (Carreras)), he does not seek to immitate at all.
I don't think I've heard other singers take on qualities of Pavarotti's, I get the feeling that Florez tries to immitate it in some ways. But I doubt anyone could replicate those ringing bright tones effectively.
Mooorhe 2 years ago
The voice sounds similar to Bjorling initially, but I think they are different under closer listening, Bjorling's was more silvery and liquid to my ears.
Calleja looks to be a heavier tenor than Pavarotti was, his attempt at singing Arturo wasn't great, but I hope he does proper justice to the spinto roles that have been disgraced by Licitra and Cura, once his voice matures further.
Mooorhe 2 years ago
I do think that Bjorling had more focus to his top voice, & a little more authority to his lower notes.
I'm surprised that you consider Calleja's to be a stronger voice than Pavarotti's. I felt the reverse, that Pav's was weightier & more spinto. But then, you have heard both men live. I have not.
It always puzzles me when great voices are imitated. It only condemns the mimic to vocal mediocrity. Each voice has its own unique beauty. Why be a 2nd rate version of somebody else?
hiyadroogs 2 years ago
I never heard Pavarotti live, and seeing as I'm quite young, he probably wouldn't have been worth hearing.
Calleja has quite a focused top and it's taken a while to get a good top for him I feel (a reviewer called his top notes on his CDs 'white and strained' to which I have to agree, they were pretty bad) but the development is phenomenal, the Bb here was neither white nor strained, it was beautiful.
Mooorhe 2 years ago
Helo Mooorhe. Interesting analysis. Having listened to Calleja's cd's, I would disagree with the reviewer about his top notes sounding strained. He was referring to his C's & C#'s I think, not his Bb's. I would say they were a little white & spread compared to the rest of his voice, but he was only 25 at the time, & I'm sure they have long since settled down. Bjorling also had a weak lower voice in his teens & early 20's, his chest register being allowed to develop in its own time like Calleja.
hiyadroogs 2 years ago
It's interesting to note that Calleja assumed he would be able to go in with Rodolfo, as Pavarotti did, and found it too heavy for his voice. So he dropped it until around now.
There is something funny about what he does to his vowels, it could just be a diction issue, but some vowels sound wrong. It's the 'eh' sound he seems to do weirdly at times at 1:19 for example.
I like the way he builds the high notes into the text, but he does some sliding up to them on occasion.
Mooorhe 2 years ago
I think he does leave things to be desired with his low notes. He needs to build them into his line a bit better, sometimes he drops down awkwardly. I noticed this when I saw him as the Duke, in Ella mi fu rapita, there are a couple of drops that he didn't handle very well. This problem will be easily remedied though I think.
Mooorhe 2 years ago
Pavarotti's vocal weight was difficult to judge I think, he could sing Bellini and Donizetti to near perfection (Calleja's attempts at the former haven't been great) while singing the Duke and Rodolfo to perfection, while giving a formidable stab at Riccardo.
Calleja isn't so great at the lighter stuff, but is very good at the lyric stuff and has a huge voice, so I'm inclined to think that his voice is naturally heavier; could be very wrong though.
Mooorhe 2 years ago
Certainly I would say that Joseph has more than sufficient technique to sing any of the lighter roles, as he can sing mezza voce superbly on any note in his range. Whether he would feel temperamentally disposed to reigning in his voice for entire roles, I couldn't say. His voice has resonance & amplitude, but is very much a lyric voice now. He should not attempt stage roles for spinto, as his voice has already found its fach in the lyric repertoire. In 10 years we'll see how it develops.
hiyadroogs 2 years ago
I wouldn't class mezza voce as a technical feature that can help one toss off the high C#, high B and 6-ish high As of A te o cara while maintaining an impeccable line, as Pavarotti did. His voice isn't built to handle Bellni tessitura like Pavarotti's was, that's what I meant by lighter roles.
His voice is one with a natural ability to do mezza voce, but I wish he would include more nuance in his phrasing.
Mooorhe 2 years ago
I wouldn't be too sure on that. I heard a Sonnambula of his which was terrific and his recent recording of Tebaldo garnered great reviews and reactions. I did hear him in Puritani when he was about 25. The A te o cara was very nice but his high notes in the last act did go backwards. Then again it could have been the young age - less refined technique - and the wrong decision to sing Puritani so young. I think he would be great if he sung the role today but with the last act transposed down.
FNouvionGrandiTenori 2 years ago
He did reckless daily exercises from soft to loud and loud to soft throughoutt he whole range with his teacher Paul Asciak. I think we tend to think too quickly that lyric tenors have innate lyric abilities and everything comes easy. I am sure he was predisposed, but he also worked like VERY few do today.
Pawelp 2 years ago
I'm sure Calleja does work very hard; it shows in his singing.
However, as I *think* Calleja mentioned, and Corelli mentioned before him, some voices are more naturally suited to piano singing. Corelli is an example of a singer whose voice scaled down beautifully and without much struggle but Pavarotti's naturally didn't. He had to put in a lot of work to get the beautiful pianissimo he had in the '60s and early '70s, when he didn't work so hard later on, it showed.
Mooorhe 2 years ago
I think Calleja's voice is one suited for singing piano, personally. He has brought this out with his technique of course. A truly splendid tenor and I hear that he has improved even more since I last saw him as the Duke in September. Unfortunately I don't see the Duke on his schedule at all. If he's dropped it I'll be distraught, he was fabulous the night I saw him.
Mooorhe 2 years ago
It's still in his schedule, but he has sang it a lot, wouldn't be surprised if he sings it less frequently to make room for other roles.
Pawelp 2 years ago
I must have access to a badly updated version of his schedule. It doesn't have any more performances at the Met scheduled, is he not returning there?
Mooorhe 2 years ago
Whoops, I just noticed on his website that he's singing Les contes d'hoffman in 2009. Should be good.
Mooorhe 2 years ago
I may have misinterpreted your comment, did you mean that Calleja is above immitation of Pavarotti?
I think it was my first interpretation that was correct though, if so, why?
Mooorhe 2 years ago
I love Calleja'a voice with its wonderful, old fashioned sound. He is not yet 31 years old and still developing as a tenor. As good as is is now, one suspects that by the time he is 35, he will be remarkable.
skylark100 3 years ago 2
The best tenor singer of today
Joguti1 3 years ago 9
This is simply brilliant singing!!!
FNouvionGrandiTenori 3 years ago 10
Fantastic voice....but I think he covers too much. He often covers notes that most baritones would sing open. It gives his voice a muffled, nasal cast on these occasions....and this isn't naturally the case. For example, when he sings the last note of the line "di bellezze diverse", or the first note of the line "e te, beltade ignota". There is no need for a tenor to cover those notes, yet he does. And it just doesn't do his voice justice. Still, an ever improving and brilliant singer.
Fitz65 3 years ago 19
very interesting evaluation with which I agree. Despite the sound being glorious it is also true that certain passages are covered too much. When he doesnt do this the sound is even better.
Jussi1946 3 years ago
He doesn't cover at all, his voice is very open. But he doesn't allow the lower register to muscle its way into the bridging notes. He maintains a head register dominated technique, which is precisely why his voice is so free, & the vibrato is quick, relaxed, & virile. His technique is very close to flawless, & the last thing he should do is open up his bridging notes. That's the first disastrous step along the road to the unravelling of the technique & a short career. Look at Villazon!
hiyadroogs 2 years ago
Absolutely agree. Couldn't have put it better myself
tagliavini 2 years ago
Thank you my friend! I suspect you can hear echos of Ferruccio in Joseph's singing. Unsurprisingly, he was made to listen at great length to Tagliavini, Gigli, & Schipa while being taught the same bel canto technique. I think we can safely say that it paid off!
hiyadroogs 2 years ago
Yes indeed. There are echoes of Ferruccio and the technique is a wonder. And lets not forget intelligence manifested in choice as well as interpretatuon. His singing is never distasteful; always elegant....and let's be honest occasionally, especially eariler, a little nasal(solved recently), but, when I heard him in London at St John's Smith Square in 2006, he made me cry.
tagliavini 2 years ago
I must endevour to see him live myself!
hiyadroogs 2 years ago
I will be seeing Joseph for the 4th time live in April at the Met. I saw him previously at the Met, the Lyric, and the Kennedy Center. The voice is huge. That's not the most impressive part of his singing though. He "emits" notes in a very classical way. There's no forcing, just glorious emission of notes. It is a wonder to behold.
moorfan1 3 years ago 9
Never mind the low rating. Its Francis Nouvion from the historical tenors website clicking away with at least 18 different user names. He is a crazy old fart stalking anything with Calleja spreading comments how small his voice is etc etc. I have heard this chap live and everytime he blew the roof off the house. Thats how loud he sounded. In any case the incredible receptions he receives anywhere he goes speak for themselves.
danielefrustrador 3 years ago 11
Comment removed
GermanOperaSinger 3 years ago 8
I agree with that. But I'm glad he's not performing this on stage.
I think he'll only get better... And I'm glad he isn't being marketed like Villazon... Because the tickets are cheaper :P
Mooorhe 3 years ago 5
Comment removed
GermanOperaSinger 3 years ago
Lol, I saw that Domingo was coming back for more on the Met's site, I'm guessing he'll do what he did with Chenier and transpose it so it's almost a baritone role.
I've never been to the Met unfortunately, been to Covent Garden, but not the Met. How does one sneak in at intermission? Lol
I'm looking into seeing his Rodolfo in Munich, but I'm more interested in seeing Florez in I Puritani in Bologna and La fille du regiment in Barcelona.
Mooorhe 3 years ago
I am in no way the chairman of any Domingo rooting club but Domingo, abeit transposed down, sang a very good performance at least as far as the broadcast was concerned. He said he was going to sing a semitone or a full tone down and, in fairness DeLucia did this and worse and is called great. I think Domingo should have retired years ago and you cannot print what I think of him singing Simon Boccanegra next season but here he sang well.
gaytenor 2 years ago
beautiful!!!
danielefrustrador 3 years ago 2
Wrong repertoire? Why? Joseph has a huge lyric voice that never EVER sounds to me to be under duress. He's far too smart to make repertoire choices that aren't wise for his voice. Don't complain about him singing Tosca when he sings arias in recital. Have you heard the voice live?
moorfan1 3 years ago 17
What a great singer. Listen to the perfect B flat hit right in the middle and to the last phrase "sei tu" perfectly in tune. Compare this with the supposedly and contemporary "lirico spintos"...he brings them to shame.
FNouvionGrandiTenori 3 years ago 17
Wow! I was there for this concert. I don't think you would have said its the wrong repertoire for him had you been there. He literally blew the roof off with the power of his voice. Having said that I agree that Tosca as an entire role is early. Is he singing it?
In any case there is not one pushed note in this rendition and I dare say there is no one who can sing it this easily nowadays. When was the last time you guys heard him live?
Jussi1946 3 years ago 23
agreed :)
ChristophGF 3 years ago
This performance is great, lyric tenors are wonderful for this aria. But I don't think Calleja is anywhere near ready for Cavaradossi... He's only just starting Rodolfo I think.
I agree, he is best young tenor of the tenor of today.
Mooorhe 3 years ago 9
Comment removed
diomipoteviscagliar 3 years ago
Comment removed
Mooorhe 3 years ago