MONTSERRAT CABALLÉ
SOPRANO
APRIL 12TH, 1933

‘No diva in memory has sung such an all-encompassing amount of the soprano repertory, progressing through virtually the entire range of Italian light lyric, lirico-spinto and dramatic roles, including all the pinnacles of the bel canto, Verdi and verismo repertories, whilst simultaneously being a remarkable interpreter of Salome, Sieglinde and Isolde”^[1]   

This sums up succinctly, the talent and achievement of a singer who towards the end of her career added another feather to her cap by achieving world wide fame, especially amongst a younger generation of non-opera goers, when she sang the duet Barcelona  with Freddie Mercury, which had been commissioned and recorded at the request of the International Olympic Committee and aired for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in 1992.

After 12 years of study at the Barcelona Conservatorium, Caballé’s professional career began in Basle in Switzerland in 1956. In the three years she spent at Basle she built a solid repertory of roles, including Pamina, Tosca, Aida, Chrysothemis and Salome.^[2] She was then engaged at Bremen, from 1959-1962, where she sang extensive repertoire in German from Mozart to Richard Strauss. Caballé made her La Scala debut in 1960, yet continued in Bremen and in the words of one noted general manager of an opera house, ‘on a lucky night even in a small house one might hear an extraordinary voice. In 1962, for example you could have walked into the little house in Bremen and heard Montserrat Caballé, not just a promising young talent but already one of the great voices of the time.’^[3]

She attracted international attention and fame in 1965, after a performance of Donizetti’s Lucretia Borgia at Carnegie Hall in New York, standing in for the American mezzo soprano Marilyn Horne which earned her a 25 minute standing ovation.^[4] After this great triumph she became ever more associated with the Italian Bel Canto repertoire including Maria Stuarda, Norma and Amelia. However, such was her versatility, that Caballé sang music almost every era, including popular hits, and her extensive repertoire is available for posterity in numerous recordings. For a time Caballé was one of the ‘two biggest moneymakers before the public’^[5](the other being a certain tenor named Pavarotti).

A consummate performer known for her intelligent and delicate interpretations and musicianship, Caballé combined these in her pure but powerful voice, capable of creating exquisite vocal shadings. She possessed a prized ability to spin the finest and highest gossamer of pianissimo, which led to her be considered one of the best sopranos of the 20th Century.

Throughout her six decade career, Caballé recorded extensively. We are fortunate to have complete opera repertoire performances and recital albums with her exquisite and exceptional vocal art.