Bigger than life—just like opera itself
Insider Special Edition delves into the mind and soul of
one of the big success stories of the Mediterranean.
words: Victor Calleja
Events, big and small, give a destination vibrancy and appeal-power. The more diverse the
events a country organises, the more it is seen as a star attraction with travellers worldwide.
One of Malta’s biggest stars—if not the biggest ever—is surely Joseph Calleja. I meet him at his
home in Malta overlooking the great blue Mediterranean Sea. We discuss events, tourism, the
Mediterranean and all things beautiful.
O
pera
is larger than life—people cry and fight passionately,
they cut hair with more flourish, they love gloriously and they die melodramatically. They even sing their
words, which is hardly true to life. But that is the beauty
of opera and Joseph Calleja is much more than just a
tenor. He has also helped bring to life the enjoyment of
a genre which was seen as elitist.
With all his star status and global reach, Joseph Calleja is
a great man to interview. He makes you feel at ease immediately and, while oozing charm and confidence, does not
act the star at all. When I mention his fame, he shrugs it
off saying that he’s just slightly better known than others.
He is cultural ambassador of Malta and talks highly—and
frequently—of this country. His words have been supported
by action, witness his sterling work for the BOV Foundation
which supports rising talent in the arts and other spheres.
In the last decade or so Malta has gone from a tiny insignificant dot to a country with its own timbre, respected by bigger countries for its foresight and economic
prowess. Even as a destination it has gone from a littletalked-about or admired island in the sun just right for
retirees looking for a cheap fry-up, to a sophisticated
one with top food, hotels and comforts.
INSIDER SPECIAL EDITION
Cultural, sporting and other events have flourished
too and people from other countries actually flock
here to enjoy them. Events make a country known and
enjoyable. Calleja hosts a very successful summer concert
held annually in Malta. I ask him if he would consider
being the protagonist of an event, during the off-peak
season, held in different Mediterranean destinations
with artistes from those countries performing. This
could be a pan-Mediterranean concert spanning a few
days or a week for example. “Sounds like a great idea,”
Calleja replies enthusiastically. “As long as it is doable
and sustainable, I would be all for it,” he tells me in his
booming tenor’s voice.
We then talk about his love of the Mediterranean—not
just the sea itself which he reveres but the whole region
which made him and which gave the world so much beauty, so much art. Calleja loves art—actually he loves anything that makes life beautiful. So he tells me—“how can
one not love the Mediterranean and all its riches, from
its architecture to its gastronomy to its smiling people?”
Calleja talks passionately and at length—although he’s in
a hurry as there are another two interviews bo