Joseph Calleja Celebrates U.S. Album Release at (Le) Poisson Rouge, 10/24

This Monday sees the U.S. release of The Maltese Tenor, Joseph Calleja's third solo album for Decca Classics. To celebrate the event, Calleja will perform selections from the recording live on Monday evening at New York City's (Le) Poisson Rouge. Complete with special guest appearances, the concert will be webcast live on www.npr.org/music. 

Besides Calleja's own performances of arias by Verdi, Puccini, Massenet and more, Monday's concert will feature special guest appearances by British violinist Daniel Hope, who appears courtesy of the 92nd Street Y where performs on Oct 27; bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni, courtesy of the Met where he is currently portraying Leporello in the new Don Giovanni production; and rising star soprano Katie Van Kooten. Steven Mercurio will conduct a chamber orchestra assembled especially for the occasion.

When it was released in Europe earlier this year, The Maltese Tenor immediately became a bestseller, debuting in the number-one spot on the UK specialist classical chart and prompting British television appearances for Calleja on programs such as BBC Breakfast and the Andrew Marr Show. In reviewing the album, the Times of London noted that "Calleja sounds at his vocal peak on this [disc] ...In short, a golden-age voice in its prime."

Similarly, in an article accompanying "First Listen," NPR Music describes Calleja as "one terrific tenor," adding:

"Opera fanatics sometimes lament that the so-called ‘golden age' has been lost, but that's not exactly the case. ... Calleja, like those tenors of long ago, has an old-fashioned flickering vibrato which gives his music a buoyant pulse. He also has a keen sense of dynamic control, allowing him to spin out a phrase high and soft, yet completely supported by the breath. We simply don't hear this kind of singing often these days, and when it's matched with thoughtful interpretations on stage, you have one special singer."

After the concert at (Le) Poisson Rouge, New Yorkers will next be able to see Calleja in January, in a new production of Faust at the Met, where he is one of three leading tenors to take on the title role this season.

Mon, Oct 24 at 7:30pm (doors open 6:30pm)
(Le) Poisson Rouge
158 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012
General admission: $20

The Maltese Tenor
Decca Classics
U.S. release: Oct 24, 2011

Joseph Calleja, tenor
L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Marco Armiliato, conductor

Track list:

Puccini: La bohème
1. Act I, Aria: "Che gelida manina" (Rodolfo)
2. Act I, Duet: "O soave fanciulla" (Rodolfo, Mimì) [with Aleksandra Kurzak, soprano]

Giuseppe Verdi: Simon Boccanegra
3. Act II, Scena and Aria: "O inferno! Amelia qui! - Sento avvampar nell'anima" (Gabriele)

Jacques Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffmann
4. Act I: "Il était une fois à la cour d'Eisenach" (Hoffmann) [with Choeur d'hommes du Grand Théatre de Genève / Ching-Lien Wu]

Giacomo Puccini: Tosca
5. Act I, Aria: "Recondita armonia" (Cavaradossi)
6. Act III, Aria: "E lucevan le stelle" (Cavaradossi)

Arrigo Boito: Mefistofele
7. Act I, Romanza: "Dai campi, dai prati" (Faust)
8. Epilogo, Romanza: "Giunto sul passo estremo" (Faust)

Charles Gounod: Faust
9. Act III, Cavatina: "Salut, demeure chaste et pure!" (Faust)

Giacomo Puccini: Manon Lescaut
10. Act I, Aria: "Tra voi, belle, brune e bionde" (des Grieux)
11. Act I, Aria: "Donna non vidi mai" (des Grieux)

Jules Massenet: Manon
12. Act III, Aria: "Ah! fuyez, douce image!" (des Grieux)

Giuseppe Verdi: Luisa Miller
13. Act II, Scena ed Aria: "Oh! fede negar potessi - Quando le sere al placido" (Rodolfo)

Giuseppe Verdi: Un ballo in maschera
14. Act III, Romanza: "Ma se m'è forza perderti" (Riccardo)

Georges Bizet: Les pecheurs de perles
15. Act II, Chanson et Duo: "De mon amie, fleur endormie - Leïla, Leïla! Dieu puissant" (Nadir, Leïla) [with Aleksandra Kurzak]

Joseph Calleja: 2011-12 engagements

Oct 24
New York, NY
(Le) Poisson Rouge
Concert: The Maltese Tenor

Nov 4
Munich, Germany
Bavarian State Opera
Charity concert

Nov 7
Paris, France
Salle Pleyel
Concert: The Maltese Tenor

Nov 13, 16, & 19
Cologne, Germany
Cologne Opera
Verdi: Requiem

Nov 21
Munich, Germany
Prinzregententheater
Concert: The Maltese Tenor

Nov 23
Vienna, Austria
Wiener Konzerthaus
Concert: The Maltese Tenor

Dec 8
Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm Concert Hall
Nobel Prize Concert

Dec 19 & 22
Berlin, Germany
Deutsche Oper Berlin
Bizet: The Pearl Fishers (Nadir)

Jan 5, 9, 13, 16, & 19 (2012)
New York, NY
Metropolitan Opera
Gounod: Faust (title role)

Feb 1, 5, 9, & 13
Munich, Germany
Bayerische Staatsoper
Donizetti: Roberto Devereux (title role)

March 11 & 12
Frankfurt, Germany
Frankfurt Alte Oper
Mascagni: L'amico Fritz (title role)

April 30; May 3, 5, 8, 12, & 17
London, UK
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Puccini: La bohème (Rodolfo)

May 26
Copenhagen, Denmark
Tivoli Theatre
Gala concert

June 8 & 14
Berlin, Germany
Deutsche Oper Berlin
Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor (Edgardo)

July 17 & 20
Munich, Germany
Munich Opera Festival
Puccini: La bohème (Rodolfo)

July 25
London, UK
Royal Opera House
Gala Concert with Plácido Domingo

www.josephcalleja.com