Grand opera in an unlikely setting. The small island of Gozo (right next to Malta) has 30,000 inhabitants and two opera houses. This means it has more opera per square mile than any other place in the world. The organization, the staging, and much of the singing are all done by amateurs. The only trouble is, there is no love lost between the two houses. There are two conductors, two choruses, two teams of stage workers and organizers and behind it all two rival clans whose sole ambition every year is to come out on top in the great operatic singing match. But there is one thing they do have to share: the orchestra. Malta only has one to its name. In the middle of the fray we find Maltese star tenor Joseph Calleja. As a teenager he earned his singing spurs in Gozo, and now he comes back to the island every year to act as a mediator. The film observes opera-crazy volunteers and amateur musicians engaging in the annual tussle for the best Verdi performance in the Mediterranean and international tenor Joseph Calleja doing his level best to keep things from getting out of hand. A film about no-holds-barred commitment, a passionate love of music, and how cut-throat rivalry can bring forth genuine art.
Magic Moments of Music – Montserrat Caballé sings Norma
On the day of the open-air performance of Vincenzo Bellini’s opera ‘Norma’ in 1974, a severe storm is blowing through the city of Orange in southern France. The much-anticipated event may have to be called off at the last moment. All the while, in the spectacular Roman amphitheatre, nine thousand spectators await Montserrat Caballé in the title role of Norma. In the face of these adverse conditions, the singer and musicians nevertheless decide to perform. It will be a legendary evening of music. For this film, Montserrat Caballé’s brother, Carlos Caballé, has given the first interview since the death of his sister in October 2018. Carlos had accompanied her throughout her life and was also in attendance for the rehearsals and performances in Orange in 1974. Soprano Sonia Yoncheva and Olga Peretyatko tell of their admiration for “La Superba”, as Caballé was known to her fans. And just a few short years after this performance, Maria Callas would describe Caballé her as her true successor – high praise indeed.