Among the latest contenders in the top tenor stakes, Joseph Calleja from Malta stands out for relating more closely than usual to examples set by tenors from the early years of recording.
His very distinctive timbre, with a rapidly flickering vibrato, brings a reminder of such a golden age singer as Alessandro Bonci, and his technique finds him just as happy in the bel canto of Donizetti as in the warm verismo phrases of Cilea and Puccini.
The most refreshing tenor recital for a long time.
