Decca Records

Joseph Calleja, one of the world’s leading tenors, returns with his new album ‘Verdi’. The album sees Calleja explore the light and dark in Verdi’s heroic tenor roles and features guest appearances from soprano Angela Gheorghiu and baritone Vittorio Vitelli.

Verdi has a special place in Calleja’s heart, having made his debut as Macduff in Verdi’s Macbeth when he was just 19. It is his first new album in six years – his last solo album ‘Amore’ was released in September 2013 and he was also part of a 2013 recording of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra. However, this new album marks a significant step into Verdi repertoire for Calleja, as he tackles new roles which has yet to play on stage.

Among the arias on the new album are ‘Di quella pira’ and ‘Ah! Si, ben mio…’ from Il Trovatore, ‘Già nella notte densa’ from Otello, and ‘Celeste Aida’ from the opening scene of Verdi’s Egyptian opera. Each of the roles on this album celebrate the tenore robusto as the voice-type of an operatic hero and showcase Calleja’s powerful yet lyrical voice.