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World renowned Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja returned to his Floriana stage this evening for his annual, much anticipated concert before thousands of people on the granaries, bringing together pop and opera.

The line-up this year included Italian Gigi D'Alessio and Irish Ronan Keating. Both performed duets with Calleja. The 200-strong HSBC children's choir also took part.

Among the best received numbers were Hellelujah, sung jointly by Calleja, Keating and the choir - which got an encore - as well as Because you're mine, You Raise Me up and Brindisi.

The choir was particularly applauded for its beautiful rendering of the Anvil Chorus, which kicked off the second part of the concert.

Several of the musical arrangements were made by Kevin and Paul Abela

Calleja was also joined on stage by soprano Gillian Zammit and Amber, fresh from the Eurovision Song Contest where she was part of Kurt Calleja's team.

The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra was directed by the internationally acclaimed conductor Steven Mercurio, who has collaborated with Mr Calleja on his new album, a tribute to opera star Mario Lanza.

The concert included a moving tribute to Lucio Dalla, who was in Malta last year, shortly before he passed away suddenly.

The concert was organised by NnG Promotions and supported by HSBC, Vodafone and Allied Newspapers.