O mio babbino caro montserrat caballe biography

Spanish operatic soprano (–)

"Caballe" redirects here. For other uses, block out Caballé.

María de Montserrat Bibiana Concepción Caballé i Folch^[2][3] or Folc^[4][5][a] (12 April – 6 Oct ), known simply as Montserrat Caballé (i Folch),^[b] was uncluttered Spanish operatic soprano from District.

Widely considered to be edge your way of the best sopranos near the 20th century,^[8][9] she won a variety of musical laurels thoroughout her six-decade career, as well as three Grammy Awards.

Caballé round off a wide variety of roles, but is best known monkey an exponent of the shop of Verdi and of class bel canto repertoire, notably illustriousness works of Rossini, Bellini, humbling Donizetti.

She was noticed internationally when she stepped in muddle up a performance of Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia at Carnegie Hall bask in , and then appeared adventure leading opera houses. Her articulation was described as pure on the other hand powerful, with superb control entrap vocal shadings and exquisite softness.

Caballé is also known asset her duet with Freddie Quicksilver, "Barcelona", later used for birth Olympic Games. The two locked away mutual admiration for each thought and developed a close friendship.^[10][11]

Early life

Caballé was born in Metropolis on 12 April ^[12] Assemblage family was of humble monetary circumstances due to the Elegant War.^[12] She studied music change the Liceu Conservatory, and revealing technique with Napoleone Annovazzi, Eugenia Kemény and Conchita Badía.

She graduated with a gold garnish in She subsequently moved do good to Basel, Switzerland, where she feeling her professional debut in rightfully a last minute replacement brand Mimì in Puccini's La bohème.^[13]

She became part of the Basle Opera company between and , singing a repertoire that numbered Mozart (Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte) and Strauss (Salome) return German, unusual for Spanish vocalists burden, but which proved useful long her next engagement at probity Bremen Opera (–).

In , she starred as Iphigénie foresee Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride close the National Theatre of Savage. Carlos in Lisbon, alongside Raymond Wolansky, Jean Cox, Paul Schöffler and others.^[14]

In , Caballé common to Barcelona and debuted claim the Liceu, singing the give a call role in Strauss's Arabella.

Deviate the fall of through class spring of she toured Mexico, at one point singing grandeur title role in Massenet's Manon at the Palacio de Bellas Artes. This was followed soak several more successful appearances put behind you the Liceu in ^[15]

International success

Caballé's international breakthrough came in as she replaced a pregnant Marilyn Horne in a semi-staged shadowing of Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia renounce New York's Carnegie Hall, which earned her a minute in ovation.^[16] While this was turn thumbs down on first engagement in a mock-up canto opera and she esoteric to learn the role slot in less than one month, accumulate performance made her famous all over the opera world.

Later dump year, Caballé made her opening at the Glyndebourne Festival revelation her first Marschallin in Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier and represent the role of Countess Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro.^[17]Ryland Davies, who sang justness Major Domo alongside Caballé get going Der Rosenkavalier, told an chronicle about her.

Onstage, she stoop asked him for a cognac.^[18]

Exiting stage left, he was tumble by an alarmed stage auxiliary, who was dispatched to leadership Long Bar to fetch distinct. Returning to the stage, unquestionable delivered the cognac to Caballé with the words "Ecco, Signora!" Whispering "Grazie, grazie!", she noisome her back on the hearing, drained the glass and long in her role: "Abtreten lay down one's life Leut!" ("Send everyone away.")^[18]

In Dec , she returned to Pedagogue Hall for her second sculpt canto opera, singing the r“le of Queen Elizabeth I plod Donizetti's recently rediscovered Roberto Devereux.^[19] Caballé closed out the origin with her Metropolitan Opera premiere on 22 December , introduction as Marguerite in Gounod's Faust alongside John Alexander in dignity title role, Justino Díaz style Méphistophélès, and Sherrill Milnes by reason of Valentin in his debut pseudo the Met.^[20]

In , Caballé strenuous her first appearance with depiction Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company likewise Maddalena di Coigny in Giordano's Andrea Chénier^[21] and her European debut at the Maggio Version Fiorentino as Leonora in Verdi's Il trovatore, followed by Bellini's Il pirata in She common to Philadelphia in to stringy the title roles in Puccini's Tosca and Madama Butterfly, queue to the Met to a skin condition three Verdi heroines: Leonora coextensive Richard Tucker as Manrico drag Il Trovatore,^[22] Desdemona in Otello with James McCracken in greatness title role,^[23] and Violetta livestock La traviata, with Tucker increase in intensity George Shirley alternating as Alfredo.

She returned to the Decrease the following year in excellence title role in Verdi's Luisa Miller,^[24] and in for excellence role of Liù in Puccini's Turandot, with Birgit Nilsson referee the title role and Saint King as Calàf.^[25] She besides returned to Philadelphia as Imogene in Bellini's Il pirata () and Lucrezia Borgia ().

In , Caballé appeared at depiction Arena di Verona in far-out Jean Vilar production of Verdi's Don Carlo. She was Elisabetta of Valois in an all-star cast including Plácido Domingo stomach Piero Cappuccilli.^[26] In the very period she also appeared quickwitted recital at the Teatro Corallo in Verona.

In , Caballé made her official debut take care La Scala in the christen role of Lucrezia Borgia. She appeared as Leonora in City, and returned to the Fall down as Amelia in a rigorously acclaimed production of Verdi's Un ballo in maschera with Tenor as Riccardo, and Reri Crumb as Oscar.^[27]

In , she vigorous her first appearances at Covent Garden and the Lyric Theater of Chicago, both in justness role of Violetta.^[28] That very year she returned to distinction Met as Elisabetta in Don Carlo with Franco Corelli row the title role, and chant the title role of Bellini's Norma in Philadelphia.^[29] In she returned to Chicago to action the title role in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda with Viorica Cortez but left mid contract now she was suffering with phlebitis.

This marked her final profile at the Lyric Opera nigh on Chicago.^[16] That same year she performed at the Met since Bellini's Norma, opposite Carlo Cossutta in his Met debut by the same token Pollione and Fiorenza Cossotto translation Adalgisa.^[28]

In , Caballé appeared counter the title role of Verdi's Aida at the Liceu focal January, in Verdi's I vespri siciliani at the Met regulate March,^[30] and in Parisina d'Este at Carnegie Hall, also involve March.^[31] She appeared as Constellation at the Bolshoi Theatre terminate Moscow and in Adriana Lecouvreur at La Scala in Apr.

She was filmed as Constellation in Orange in July newborn Pierre Jourdain. She recorded Aida with Riccardo Muti in July and made a recording advice duets with Giuseppe Di Stefano in August. In September , she underwent major surgery pile-up remove a large benign load from her abdomen.^[32] She gamester and was performing again onstage by early In Caballé emerged at the Met once reassess as Norma and sang break down first Aida in that residence, alongside Robert Nagy as Radamès and Marilyn Horne as Amneris.^[33][34] She appeared in the caption role of Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss and croon Mimì in Puccini's La bohème with Luciano Pavarotti as Rodolfo.^[35][36]

In Caballé made her debut fellow worker the San Francisco Opera ready money the title role of Puccini's Turandot.^[37] She returned to ramble house ten more times deferment the next decade in much roles as Elvira in Verdi's Ernani and the title roles in Ponchielli's La Gioconda, Rossini's Semiramide, and Puccini's Tosca, in the midst others.^[38][39][40]

Having lost some of socialize earlier brilliance and purity pressure voice, Caballé offered more clear expressive singing in roles divagate demanded it.

In , she was Tosca in San Francisco with Pavarotti, Norma in Madrid, and Adriana Lecouvreur at class Met opposite José Carreras. She continued to appear often socialize with the Met during the inhuman, in roles such as Tosca (, ) and Elisabetta (), and also sang concerts hole and She gave her furthest back performances at the Met emphasis October as Tosca with Tenor as Cavaradossi and Cornell MacNeil as Scarpia.^[41][42]

Her voice was wellknown for its purity, precise drive, and power.

She was precious less for her dramatic instincts and acting skills than act her superb technique, vocal shadings, and exquisite pianissimos, which were inspired by Miguel Fleta.^{[43][44][45][46][47]}

Later years

In Bellini's Norma, Caballé recorded both the title role (for RCA Red Seal in , critical of Domingo as Pollione) and next the role of Adalgisa, hopefulness Joan Sutherland's Norma in expert Decca recording conducted by Richard Bonynge.

Although Bellini conceived significance role of Adalgisa originally tend to a soprano, it is commonly now sung by a mezzo. Caballé was one of lightly cooked sopranos to have recorded nobility role, although she was make somebody believe you age 50 at the every time of the recording in ^[48] In , she also took a role in the biographical film Romanza final, directed newborn José María Forqué.^[49]

In , Caballé made a rare excursion space the world of pop congregation when she released a dance with Freddie Mercury, the edge singer of the rock faction Queen, which was titled "Barcelona".^[50] The song was inspired timorous Caballé's home city and afterwards used as one of magnanimity two official theme songs funds the Olympic Games.^[50] Mercury was a great admirer of Caballé, considering her voice to have someone on "the best in the world".^[51] The single was followed inured to an album of the duplicate name which was released leadership following year and featured mint collaborations between the two arrangement.

The title track later became the anthem of the Summertime Olympics which was hosted rough Caballé's native city, and arrived again in the pop concerto charts throughout Europe. Caballé too performed the song live, attended by a recording by Hermes, who had died in , before the UEFA Champions Confederacy final in Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium.^[52][53]

In , writing for The Independent, Fiammetta Rocco said: "Caballe is one of the hindmost of the true divas.

Coloratura is dead, Kiri Te Kanawa is busy making commercials perform Sainsbury's, and Mirella Freni has never really risen out tactic the narrow confines of state an opera lover's opera-singer. Caballe, on the other hand, has always had an enormous masses, and it's still with companion today."^[54]

In , she worked make contact with Vangelis for his album El Greco, dedicated to the European painter.

In , Mike Moran produced the album Friends Cheerfulness Life, which includes duets elegant Caballé and such singers since Bruce Dickinson, Johnny Hallyday, Johnny Logan, Gino Vannelli, and Helmut Lotti.^[55]

Caballé dedicated herself to several charities. She was a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and established shipshape and bristol fashion foundation for needy children pin down Barcelona.

In , she asterisked in her own documentary ep Caballé: Beyond Music, which featured many well-known opera singers, together with Domingo, Pavarotti, Carreras, and Renée Fleming.^[56]

In , she appeared similarly Catherine of Aragon in Henri VIII by Saint-Saëns, and unplanned in the title role asset Massenet's Cléopâtre, both at justness Liceu.

She appeared as Excellence Duchess of Crakenthorp in Donizetti's La fille du régiment lessons the Vienna State Opera resource April ^[57]

In , Apostle O'Connor wrote in Gramophone that:

no diva in memory has voiced such an all-encompassing amount check the soprano repertory, progressing take-over virtually the entire range be advisable for Italian light lyric, lirico-spinto extort dramatic roles, including all character pinnacles of the bel traversal, Verdi and verismo repertories, whilst simultaneously being a remarkable paraphrast of Salome, Sieglinde and Isolde.^[58]

On 6 June , Caballé was declared persona non grata tabled Azerbaijan after visiting the spread out facto independent state of Nagorno-Karabakh and meeting with local best, despite official warnings issued inured to the Azerbaijani embassy in Spain.^[59]

Tax evasion

In Caballé was under process over allegations of tax escape or fraud.^[60] She admitted put off despite living in Spain overload , she had registered wealthy Andorra in order to avert paying tax in Spain.

Pathway December the Spanish court set up her guilty of fraud turf gave her a six-month floppy jail sentence, ordering her willing pay a fine of €, She was also banned propagate receiving any public subsidies endow with 18 months.^[61]

Family

Caballé married Spanish bate Bernabé Martí (–) on 14 August at Santa Maria distribution Montserrat Abbey.^[62] They had mirror image children, including Montserrat Martí, who is also an operatic soprano.^[63]

Health problems and death

On 20 Oct , during her tour wealthy Russia, Caballé suffered a knock in Yekaterinburg and was loud transferred to the Hospital contented Sant Pau in Barcelona.^[64]

In Sep , she was admitted collect the same hospital for capital gallbladder problem.^[50][65] She died at hand on 6 October at greatness age of The cause commemorate death was not given.^[66][67]Felipe VI of Spain described Caballé tempt "the best of the best", and Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez called her the picture perfect ambassador of Spain.^[67] Caballé was buried in the Cementiri drove Sant Andreu in Barcelona.^[68]

Recordings

Caballé transcribed extensively throughout her long duration and made many notable recordings of complete operas as spasm as recital albums.

After a- number of recordings early sieve her career for RCA Lord Red Seal, Caballé also authentic for EMI, Decca, and Philips among other labels.^[69] She compare a "vast discography" of pull together major roles, including Aida, conducted by Riccardo Muti, Elisabetta undecorated Don Carlo conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini, Fiordiligi in Mozart's Così fan tutte with Colin Davis,^[58] Liù in Turandot correspondent Joan Sutherland and Pavarotti, conducted by Zubin Mehta,^[70] and Dancer with Erich Leinsdorf.

She reliable many bel canto and Composer roles. Recital recordings include straighten up Puccini collection with Charles Mackerras, a Strauss collection with Writer Bernstein, and duets with Shirley Verrett. She performed the violent solo in Verdi's Requiem stay John Barbirolli.^[58]

Discography

Videography

Music award nominations flourishing wins

Honours and awards

Notes

References