Joseph Calleja album tops Amazon UK’s opera charts

Updated 6.10pm with comments

An album featuring Joseph Calleja singing the music of the Golden Age has topped Amazon UK’s opera charts.

The album The Magic of Mantovani beat Russel Watson's 20 and a recording of Mozart's Mass in C minor to the top spot. 

"I have to wait for the official UK opera charts, but hopefully this is a good indicator that it's made it to the top there too. So fingers crossed," Calleja told Times of Malta.

In the album, the Maltese tenor brings back to life original Decca recordings of works by the celebrated Anglo-Italian conductor and his orchestra, such as Spanish Eyes, Strangers in the Night, Che Sera Sera, You'll Never Walk Alone and Arrivederci Roma. 

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"What's really incredible is that the tracks I sang on, which in our terminology we call tracking, were recorded 50 to 55 years ago. His musical interpretation before I was even born – actually 28 years before – coincided with my musical interpretation/feeling for the pieces. It could have worked, it could have not, but luckily it did," Calleja explained.

Mantovani is considered the most successful album artist before the Beatles. He...