Joseph Calleja: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

Malta, the island nation 50 miles south of Sicily, may be small, but it’s home to one of the biggest stars in opera, tenor Joseph Calleja. And like his country’s name, which may originate in the Greek word for honey, Calleja’s voice is a potent mix of Italianate passion and sweetness. Just listen to how he pulls the volume back to a slender golden ray of tone several times in Tosti’s gorgeous “Ideale,“ and especially the word “disciogliea“ in the Puccini aria that closes this performance. His singing requir