Insider Special Edition 2015 | Page 103

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