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JOSEPH CALLEJA: TENOR ARIAS
Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro di Milano Giuseppe  Verdi; conductor: Riccardo Chailly Decca 475 250-2
*****

Just after the début of Rolando Villazon comes this release of another exciting new tenor voice. On disc Villazon has overtones of Domingo in the middle register, while Calleja is being compared to the young Pavarotti. Calleja, known here from appearances at Wexford, has a fine lyric tenor voice that he uses with bel canto elegance and sensitivity. Some arias duplicate the Villazon recital. In those, Calleja's voice seems significantly lighter than Villazon's, but his phrasing and vocal inflection penetrate the music to a greater extent, bringing out the light and shade of the text. However, both Villazon and Calleja are very exciting young singers, and it will be interesting to watch their voices and careers develop over the coming years.

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Colman Morrissey