Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja heads a stellar line-up of international singers performing sacred music classics for a Maundy Thursday special to be streamed on the Facebook page of Classic FM, the UK’s most popular classical music station.
‘JosephCalleja – Sacred Music from St John’s’ features celebrated soprano SondraRadvanovsky, sought-after bass-baritone Christian Van Horn, talented Maltese mezzo-soprano MarvicMonreal, and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of acclaimed Spanish conductor Ramón Tebar.
Songs include selections from Verdi’s famed requiem and well as Panis Angelicus, Ave Verum by Mozart, Amazing Grace and three versions of Ave Maria – including a composition by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.
The concert will also be broadcast on TVM in Malta on Good Friday.
Calleja said it was a dream come true for him to perform sacred music in one of the world’s most splendid baroque cathedrals which, fittingly, is home to Caravaggio’s greatest masterpiece.
“I’m grateful to everyone who has made this project possible and especially to my colleagues who have travelled in challenging conditions to make this special event happen in a week that is very dear to the Maltese.”
Tebar, who has collaborated with Calleja on various projects including the Maltese tenor’s Decca Classics album dedicated to Verdi, said: “There are very few occasions one has the opportunity to work with a dream cast in such a beautiful cathedral and of course with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. It’s a real privilege especially during this pandemic.
Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi.Radvanovsky, widely regarded as one of the world’s top Verdi sopranos, said she was very happy to be in Malta for this wonderful project even though Calleja and herself were supposed to be singing Traviata in her hometown Toronto. "The Verdi Requiem is the greatest opera that Verdi ever wrote,” she added
Van Horn said Calleja bragged about Malta with every breath and he told him he was going to have to prove it. "And boy did he prove it. A Verdi Requiem in this incredible space. There was nothing not to like about this project.”
Monreal, a member of the Opera Studio at Frankfurt opera and scholar of the BOV Joseph Calleja Foundation, said she was nervous at first to be among such a strong cast for his first Verdi Requiem, but they had been really supporting him and it has been a great experience.
‘Joseph Calleja – Sacred Music from St John’s’ is produced in collaboration with the European Foundation for Support of Culture and with the support of the Malta Tourism Authority and Bank of Valletta. The European Foundation for Support of Culture (EUFSC) is a non-profit organisation founded in Malta to initiate and promote cultural and educational projects in Europe and beyond.
Konstantin Ishkhanov, President of the European Foundation for Support of Culture, said he was proud to support the concert. "I have no doubt it will prove to be an engaging and enjoyable event, and one that will serve as a beacon of artistic excellence and hope in these difficult times."
Tune in to Classic FM at https://www.facebook.com/ClassicFM/) at 8pm (7pm GMT) and on TVM on Good Friday at 9pm.