Montserrat Caballé

The Catalan soprano Montserrat Caball? (born April 12 1933) is a famous opera singer, renowned for her bel canto technique and her interpretations of the roles of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti.

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Caball? was born in Barcelona.. After studying music at the Liceu Conservatory, she joined the Basel Opera in 1956, where she made her professional operatic debut in 1957 as Mim? in La Boh?me. For the 1960–61 season, she was engaged by the Bremen Opera, where she specialized in bel canto roles. In 1962 Caball? returned to Barcelona and made her debut at the Liceu.

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Caball?'s international breakthrough came in 1965 when she substituted for an indisposed Marilyn Horne in a concert performance of Lucrezia Borgia at New York's Carnegie Hall; her performance created a sensation and made her famous throughout the opera world. Later that year, Caball? made her debut at Glyndebourne and at the Metropolitan Opera as Marguerite in Gounod's Faust. In 1972, she made her La Scala debut in Bellini's Norma and her Covent Garden debut as Violetta in Verdi's La traviata.

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Although best known for her bel canto roles, Caball? eventually sang over eighty operatic roles, from baroque opera to Verdi, Wagner, and Puccini, including the Marschallin in Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier and the title role in Salome.

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Caball? is also a noted recitalist, particularly of songs of her native Spain.

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Her voice is noted for its purity, precise control, and power. She is admired less for her dramatic instincts and acting skills than for her superb technique, vocal shadings, and exquisite pianissimos.

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The result of one of her brief excursions to the world of pop music, Caball?'s duet with rock singer Freddie Mercury, Barcelona , was a hit single in 1987, accompanied by an album of the same name. The title track later became the anthem of the 1992 Summer Olympics which was hosted by the city, and appeared again in the pop music charts throughout Europe. Caball? also performed the song live, accompanied by a recording of the deceased Mercury, before the 1999 UEFA Champions League football final in Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium.

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Since retiring from the stage, Caball? has dedicated herself to various charities. She is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and she has established a foundation for needy children in Barcelona.

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Caball? married the tenor Bernab? Mart? in 1964. Her daughter, Montserrat Mart?, is also a singer and the two occasionally perform together.

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Montserrat Caballé related Images and Photos (experimental)

Ferrocaril de Monistrol a Montserrat