Massenet: Je suis seul, seul enfin... Ah fuyez douce image (from Manon)

“The two Mefistofele arias receive near-ideal performances, the Pearl Fishers romance (one of two items in which soprano duties are nicely undertaken by Aleksandra Kurzak) is enchanting, and the cavatina from Gounod's Faust is appealingly shaped and crowned with a refined top C...Calleja continues to persuade with a good sense of style.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2011 ****

“He's an artist who has developed in leaps and bounds over the last few years, and who sings with freedom, passion and elegance. His narrow, fast vibrato has a pleasantly old-fashioned sepia-tinted feel about it, and links him to an earlier generation of tenors...It's a recital which shows off Calleja's rich, rounded and ringing sound at its best.” Classic FM Magazine, August 2011 ****

“Calleja can still get down to a pianissimo in a way that few can, such as in the Luisa Miller scene, which is one of the best items thanks to the way he gives the vocal line a flattering lilt. After his Covent Garden success in Simon Boccanegra, the inclusion of the Act 2 scena "O inferno" - another high-point - will be a welcome souvenir.” Gramophone Magazine, August 2011

“Calleja's timbre, brilliant, caressing, keenly focused, is entirely individual...All in all, this is a fine calling-card for a tenor, still only in his early thirties, on the threshold of greatness, during a transition phase of his career. The portents are exciting indeed.” International Record Review, October 2011

“his is a bright, warm, unmistakably Mediterranean timbre, with a distinctive quick vibrato that recalls great tenors of the wind-up-gramophone era. Yet he is a thoroughly modern musician...His Che gelida manina is surely the most glamorous and thrilling on disc since Pavarotti’s famous complete recording, but it is no carbon copy...In short, a golden-age voice in its prime.” Sunday Times, 17th July 2011 ****

“Calleja despatches [the programme] with bags of elegance, passion and charm...it's the French arias here that leave you wanting more: his is a beautifully characterised Légende de Kleinzach from Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann, and a sexy Ah! Fuyez, Douce Image” The Guardian, 11th August 2011 ****

“[in the French roles] he shows no cramping of his natural bel canto style by the French line, finding plenty of room to manoeuvre. And when he and the soprano Aleksandra Kurzak begin their dalliance, the chemistry is sublime. Elsewhere, the various Puccini arias from Tosca and Manon Lescaut present Calleja at his best: robust and resonant.” The Independent, 28th July 2011 ****

“The solidity of his technique is evident in this calorific recital: it takes muscle to support such delicate messa di voce. There's a rare, old-fashioned sweetness of timbre” The Independent on Sunday, 21st August 2011

“Calleja commands resinous, vibrant tone with a rich top register and generous, open-hearted style. This is technically sturdy singing with guts and heart.” The Telegraph, 18th August 2011

““Villazón's singing offers a combination of intelligence and glamour not seen since the ascendancy of Domingo” The New Yorker

“This is mostly well-planned and executed recital mixes favourites with extracts from operas that have remained rarities, even with the increased interest in late 19th-century repertory. It begins with Rodrigue's great prayer, 'O souverain' from Act 3 of Le Cid. Rolando Villazón sings this with an attractive quiet introspection to start with, but then there is metal and passion in his voice for the climax. Of the other well-known Massenet items, it's good to hear Werther's 'Lorsque l'enfant' as well as the show-stopping 'Pourquoi me réveiller?'. In 'En fermant les yeux' from Manon, Natalie Dessay provides Manon's brief phrases, and Villazón makes a really sensitive dreamer. 'Ah, fuyez' goes well too, but it will be the arias from Roma, Grisélidis and Le Mage that will attract most listeners. In all Massenet's output is there a more seductive tune than the one that forms the centre of the Roma scene, 'Soir admirable'? This is done very well by Warren Mok in the complete recording, but Villazón outshines him.
Of the Gounod arias, Faust's 'Salut demeure' fares the best, but again it will be the extracts from Polyeucte and La Reine de Saba that will please immediately.
Villazón has established himself as one of the most promising among the new generation of tenors. His French has improved recently, butthere is the odd difficulty still with certain vowels.
Accompaniment, recording and presentation are first-rate.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010