October 6 marks eight years since the death of Montserrat Caballe – the soprano who turned the ethereal power of bel canto into a globally recognizable language. She was born on April 12, 1933 in Barcelona, and died on October 6, 2018 in a hospital in her hometown at the age of 85.
Her path to the big stage began without a quick jump to fame. In 1954, she graduated from the conservatory in Barcelona and won first prize in a vocal competition. Two years later, she began working at the Basel Opera, where she performed smaller roles and gradually expanded her repertoire.
Five minutes of applause at Carnegie Hall
The moment that changed her career came in 1965. Cabaye replaced Marilyn Horne at the last minute in a concert performance of Gaetano Donizetti's “Lucrezia Borgia“ at Carnegie Hall, New York. She was almost unknown to American audiences, but after the first aria, the hall responded with five minutes of continuous applause. "When Caballé began her first aria, it was as if everyone stopped breathing," wrote critic John Gruen in the New York Herald Tribune.
After this success, the Spanish singer began appearing on the stages of the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, the Vienna State Opera and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. In 1972, she made her London debut as Violetta in La Traviata. Her repertoire also included Mimi in La Bohème, Tosca, Salome, Aida and Norma.
Caballé's strength is not limited to the power of her voice. She is known for her long phrases, precise technique and the ability to sing high notes almost in a whisper. "God has blessed me - I don't know how else to say it - with a beautiful voice," she said in an interview with the "Washington Post" in 1973.
„Barcelona“ and the meeting with Freddie Mercury
Cabayet became known to the general public outside of opera after her meeting with Freddie Mercury. In 1987, the two recorded “Barcelona“, and the album of the same name was released in 1988. The song reached number eight in the British charts and later became a musical symbol of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Mercury died in 1991 and was unable to perform the song with Caballé at the Olympic ceremony.
The duet with the “Queen“ frontman did not erase her operatic legacy. Caballé recorded more than 80 albums, worked with conductors and singers from several generations and received a “Grammy“ award for “Rossini: Rarities“. She continued to perform until 2016, although she had repeatedly spoken of retiring since the 1970s.
“Then you go back to your hotel room and maybe no one is there. You lie down on the bed and think“, Caballe recalls of life after a performance. According to her, fatigue was acceptable when she knew she had given “all her strength and all her senses“. It is this feeling - of complete surrender to the stage - that remains at the heart of Montserrat Caballe's memory.
Source: theguardian.com