Joseph Calleja and Marco Mengoni rain Christmas magic on Malta

Sidestepping puddles and wielding umbrellas, the crowd of more than 7,000 made their way to the one annual event that a bit of precipitation could not spoil.

Rain delayed the Joseph Calleja Christmas Concert by 20 minutes on Friday night but while the weather outside the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre was frightful, the tenor and his eclectic mix of friends were delightful.

The performers taking their bow. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

Accompanied by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and the BOV Joseph Calleja Children’s Choir, Calleja began by showcasing his powerful talent with Pourquoi Me Reveiller. He followed that up with some seasonal crowd pleasers before introducing “one of the biggest stars of his generation”, Italian singer-songwriter Marco Mengoni. 

Judging by the cheers, whistles and shouts of ‘Marco’, a sizable proportion of the audience was there just for him.

“I’m a bit nervous”, Mengoni admitted, before launching into his pop hits including Cambia Un Uomo, Luce and L’essenziale, with the orchestra and children’s choir playing gamely along.

The tux-clad tenor and the leather-trousered showman made an unusual pairing.

During Calleja’s rendition of O Come All Ye Faithful and Silent Night, the venue seemed transformed into a church. At other times, it was a night club as Mengoni encouraged the audience to their feet, asking if they were “ready for a bit of funky”. 

It shouldn’t have worked but somehow it did.

Destiny proved her star power potential. Credit: Mario Cacciottolo

A highlight came in the form of Destiny Chukunyere, who performed a soulful rendition of O Holy Night, backed by the choir. Give this girl a power ballad and send her back to win Eurovision.

She was Calleja’s partner for The Prayer, delivering goosebumps and standing ovations.

He was also joined by his daughter Clara, “the better, more beautiful Calleja”, to duet on Black Sabbath’s Changes, in memory of the late Ozzy Osbourne.

Clara Calleja performed her own song as well as a duet with her father. Credit: Mario Cacciottolo

The rising talent performed an original song, Keep It Coming, and a pared-down version of All I Want For Christmas Is You.

There were powerful moments too, such as when Calleja performed the Latin prayer Ave Maria, dedicating it to “anyone who lost someone close, someone you love” this year. 

Calleja performing with the choir, led by Gillian Zammit. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

Another was the moment the audience burst into spontaneous applause at Calleja’s plea for peace in Ukraine and Gaza: “we are in 2025 and we are still killing each other. This needs to stop”.

The two stars of the show finally joined together for The Christmas Song and on Mengoni’s Eurovision hit Due Vite, which was made richer by Calleja’s powerful tenor voice.

And then it was back out in the rain. It hadn’t stopped during the almost three-hour concert.  But this time, along with the umbrellas, there was also a touch of Christmas joy for protection.