Malta’s own international tenor, Joseph Calleja, was awarded a Gold Medal by the Malta Society of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce on Tuesday 8 January. The award was presented by the President of Malta at the Casino Maltese. One of the three speakers was Prof. Richard England, whose passion for opera is well-known. Here is his speech.

“Your Excellency President of Malta, Dr Edward Fenech Adami; Presidents Emeritus, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight’s event is indeed a special occasion for all of us here, and of course even more so for me, for we are gathered to pay tribute to and celebrate the achievements of a young man who has done both himself and his native land proud. This young man has in a short time become a top international star, and must also now, without doubt, be considered Malta’s top quality export. It is therefore most appropriate that the Malta Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce is awarding its 2007 Gold Medal to Joseph Calleja. Calleja belongs not only to the wonderful world of opera but also to perhaps the most admired, prized and elite species of this art form, ‘The Tenor’.

Before proceeding I feel it may perhaps be necessary to justify my presence as a speaker at this event. My passion for opera and for the tenor voice (nearly 10,000 tenor voice recordings in a collection spanning Cylinders, 78s, LPs and CDs) and my friendship with Joseph, have obviously convinced the President of the Society and the Council that I should share the podium this evening with my far more learned fellow speakers, Albert Storace and Dr Abraham Borg.

It occurs to me that it is sometimes necessary to point out that the original scope of opera, (conceived some four centuries ago), was primarily to provide an evening of entertainment, packed with sex, violence, murder, adultery, curses, lust, treason and of course the occasional thrown in touches of madness. All these Herculean passions and monumental emotions were delivered in song and at most times, by the way, not very well acted. This was of course before Soap Operas like Dynasty or Dallas had been invented.

To further complicate matters, all this was, and still is, to this day, sung in a foreign language in order no doubt to disguise the complexity and at times, shallowness, if not absurdity of the plot. But to those converted to this superb musical format there is nothing more exciting or alluring! In all of this musical drama, the tenor is inevitably the star performer; the daring hero the leading man, lover and protagonist. Regretfully, however, he rarely escapes a long drawn out death, but luckily long enough to enable him to go through some of operas greatest arias. (Baritones and Basses although inevitably the villains in most plots have a tendency to survive!). Tenors, as we know them today, replaced the earlier star castrato singers who up to the 1800s were the divos or should I say divas of the time. (Joseph, if you had been born 150 years ago, and started your singing career as a boy soprano, your fate might well have been …well, let us say, painfully different!). Since then however, opera fans have regularly swooned in ecstasy at the ‘trumpet tones’, ‘squillo’, ‘diminuendos’ or ‘mezza voce’ of the tenor voice …not to mention whole audiences going into complete delirium at a tenor hitting a high C! ‘From Caruso to Pavarotti’ (future generations I have no doubt will be saying ‘from Caruso to Calleja’), different tenors have provided some of the most ecstatic, exciting and thrilling sounds ever produced by the human voice. But tenors, of course, are noted not only for their tantalizing vocal qualities but also for their tantrums …surpassed only by those thrown more often by self-termed diva sopranos.

…But now to the honoured personality of the night – Joseph Calleja. Born in Malta in 1978 to a non-musical family (please note that he is still in his 20s…29 in fact!) That’s how old Alfredo Kraus was when he made his debut …and Joseph already has a ten year career behind him. His first interest in music, typical of teenagers, focused on rock and heavy metal, with groups such as Metallica and Iron Maiden high on his list. At the age of 14 he watched Mario Lanza’s The Great Caruso. The film, stirred something in the young man, as it had indeed before done for Carreras, Domingo, Pavarotti and numerous others. The infectious Lanza had again cast his spell! Little wonder that Pavarotti himself once labelled Lanza as the most ‘important’ tenor of the 20th Century. Calleja was spell-bound! While imitating Lanza may not exactly have been the best of vocal tutorage, the die had been cast. Later, he discovered the more refined Pavarotti who was to become the young man’s hero. Calleja still hails the late tenor as one of the greatest of the 20th Century.

At the age of 16, Calleja’s piano teacher, having heard him sing, took him to Paul Asciak for an initial audition and to see if the potential was worth developing. This was a visit which was to be a vital turning point in the life of the young man. Asciak himself, in his younger days, a tenor of international repute and an artist of superb musicianship, was quick to note the young man’s extraordinary natural talent. At the first session, the over-enthusiasm of youth prompted Calleja to launch himself into Lanza’s ever-popular Be My Love and of course, Pavarotti’s equally ever-green Nessun Dorma. Asciak’s wisdom and experience quickly curbed these excessive excursions. At this stage, the tutor’s knowledge and proficiency proved invaluable (Asciak had after all been tutored by Nicolò Baldacchino who in turn had studied under Bavagnoli who was none other than the great Aureliano Pertile’s teacher). What followed was a long period of more of “what not to do” rather than “what to do”. Paul Althouse had done exactly the same with the young Richard Tucker. Asciak recounts that at first it was not clear whether Calleja’s voice would develop into that of a tenor or a baritone. His lower register always had, and still has to this day, a particularly rich sound. However, under Asciak’s tuition, the top notes soon emerged, brilliant and clarion in tone. The emphasis though focused on the quality of singing and on the correct production and placing of the voice; on the breath and in the mask. Today, the ecstatic, mellifluous, honey-toned diminuendos which Calleja spins out so ravishingly, haunting us with their silvery soothing tones, are the result of those years of vigorous tutorage. Much time was spent and experience gained by listening to the recordings of tenors of the ‘Golden Age’ such as Bonci, Anselmi, Fleta, Schipa and early Gigli. All of this sunk deep into young Calleja’s mind, for he was a fast learning, diligent and ambitious pupil.

I personally have a clear aural memory of walking up the stairs to Asciak’s studio (he had enthusiastically phoned me and insisted I should rush over to hear what he termed ‘one of the most exciting tenor voices I have come across’) …and as I opened the door, being greeted by a glorious sound caressing the melodic floating lines of Bellini’s, A te o Cara; an aural experience exceeded only years later with an even more ecstatic Calleja rendering in a live performance of I Puritani in Berlin.

After three years of rigorous training, Calleja made his stage debut in 1997 as Macduff in Verdi’s Macbeth on the neighbouring island of Gozo. His stage presence (there is more of him now!) confidence and singing belied his 19 years. I remember a superb Ah la paterna mano delivered with all the necessary pathos and a perfectly delivered climax.

Later that year, he was a winner in a series of important competitions, the first of which was the Belveder Competition in Vienna. In 1998, after performances in Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda in Bergamo (available on DVD – not worth missing!), he won the Caruso competition in Milan and was well placed to be among the winners of the Placido Domingo Operalia Competition, but had to drop out after contracting a virus. However, he went on to win this competition in the following year. 1999/2000 saw his debut in both Germany and the USA, together with performances in the Wexford Festival Production of Adam’s Si j’etais Roi for which he received rave reviews. 2002 saw his Covent Garden debut as the Duke in Rigoletto; again gaining enthusiastic press praise for his refined legato and stylish line of singing. Since then, he has sung in most of the leading theatres of the world including The Vienna State Opera, The Comunale in Bologna, The Reggio in Turin and the Houses in Zurich, Munich and Berlin, and also in the American cities of Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and Minnesota and of course in New York at the illustrious Metropolitan Opera House. In all of these, he has scored triumphs and received critical acclaim for not only the quality and beauty of his voice but also for his phrasing and singing technique; the latter, often being compared to that of the great singers of the Golden age.

Today, examples of his singing can be heard on the two Decca CD releases issued in 2004 and 2005. It is perhaps worth mentioning that at that time he was the youngest ever classical artist to be signed up by the company. Listening to these recordings, one cannot but marvel at the opulent beauty of sound, the refined technique, excellent phrasing and above all, his impeccable vocal control …listen to the haunting La Dolcissima Effige, immaculately crafted and spun …and of course, the best is yet to come. Recently I was lucky enough to obtain excerpts of his singing in Verdi’s Messa di Requiem. I do not think I have ever heard the Hostias so beautifully phrased.

Joseph Calleja has shown maturity not only in his vocal technique but also in the handling of his career, especially in his choice of a repertoire always suited to the lyric quality of his voice, in order to ensure a healthy vocal longitivity, and also in his disciplined dedication to constant study. Let us not forget that continuous study for a singer is paramount. Gigli, at the age of 60 in answer to a student’s question: ‘When did you stop studying?’, replied ‘Just ten minutes ago!’ and the great pianist Paderewski is reputed to have stated: ‘If I stop practicing for one day I notice, if for two days, the critics notice, and if I stop for three days, the public notices’. A point which his teacher and mentor, Paul Asciak, paraphrasing the great German heldentenor Lauritz Melchior still harps on is: “Sing with your interest not with your capital”. It seems also that his daughter Clara is of the same opinion. I recall an evening in Berlin when Joseph was belting out high Cs in the shower and as he emerged, Clara delicately requesting: “Papa’ cantami la ninna nanna …pero piano!”.

Of course, in his now wide-world opera and concert hall appearances he has sung with most of the leading singers of today and he has also performed under the baton of such eminent conductors as Chailly, Mehta, Masur and Pappano. Today, although he features among the top post-Carreras, Domingo and Pavarotti tenors, together with the likes of Alagna, Alvarez, Florez, Villazon, Kaufmann and Cura, it is worth noting that he is by far the youngest of them all …and by the way, I was amused to note that a recent New York sale of autographed photos of these star singers, Calleja’s was the one which carried the highest price tag! Not a bad omen! In the future Hollywood may well be looking for a new Mario Lanza to play The Great Calleja. Joseph, I take this opportunity to congratulate you on your incredible achievements and also to wish you greater and further successes. May I also say that I feel privileged to be here on the occasion of this well deserved award as I know all of us present here are as well. May I therefore, my friend, salute you and end by saying that we are all extremely proud of you as is your native land to have you as a son.”

Grazzi ghall-gieh li ghamilt lill Pajjizek u lilna l-Maltin kollha. Prosit!