Calleja was only 19 when he made his operatic debut as Macduff in Verdi's Macbeth at the Astra Theatre in Malta, shortly before winning an award in the Hans Gabor Belvedere Competition that launched his international career.

It is only fitting that many years later, Calleja explores the light and dark in Verdi's heroic roles in this new album. It is a significant step into the Verdi repertoire for Calleja and includes duets with Angela Gheorghiu and Vittorio Vitelli.

Ultimately, it showcases the golden-age voice that routinely inspires comparisons to "legendary singers from earlier eras: Jussi Björling, Beniamino Gigli, even Enrico Caruso" (Associated Press). Undoubtedly, Maltese-born Joseph Calleja has quickly become one of the most acclaimed and sought-after tenors today. His expansive discography and frequent appearances on the world's leading opera and concert stages prompted NPR to hail him as "arguably today's finest lyric tenor," and led to his being voted Gramophone magazine's 2012 Artist of the Year. A Grammy-nominated recording artist for Decca Classics, he has released five solo albums for the label.