Montserrat Caballe - famous Opera singer from Spain. She has a beautiful feminine soprano timbre. Collaborated with famous Russian opera and pop singer Nikolai Baskov.
Biography
We must admit that the biography of the singer is quite interesting. Her full name very long – Maria de Montserrat Vivianne Concepcion Caballe and Folk. As soon as she started performing on stage, the girl replaced her long name to a shorter and more memorable one.
Montserrat Caballe was born in the difficult thirties into a poor working-class family. Her life in her youth cannot be envied. They lived poorly: their father worked at a factory that produced chemical fertilizers, and their mother worked part-time in a variety of places. In addition to the daughter, there were also boys in the family.
The girl grew up gloomy and withdrawn, had little contact with her peers, and art became her only outlet.
In the seventies, the popularity of Montserrat Caballe in Spain, Italy, and throughout the world reached unprecedented levels, cosmic heights. The fees quickly made her rich, and aspiring singers were ready to tear each other to pieces for the opportunity to perform a duet with her.
The singer was awarded many orders and medals, for example:
- Order of Friendship (from the government of the Russian Federation).
- Order of Arts and Letters (from the French government).
- Order of Princess Olga (from the government of Ukraine).
This list is far from complete. In total, the singer has about ten different awards and titles.
Montserrat Caballe was married and has two children. I wonder what her daughter Montserrat's choice life path followed in her mother's footsteps: she is also a popular opera singer in her native Spain.
Contribution to art
Montserrat Caballe is fluent in the technique of performing “bel canto”, thanks to which she was able to take part in many performances of the classical repertoire.
According to numerous listeners, her voice sank deep into the soul as soon as she began to sing.
The singer’s contribution to art is incredibly great:
- During her life, she played more than 88 roles in operas, operettas and musical performances.
- She performed approximately 800 chamber works.
- She released the album “Barcelona” together with Freddie Mercury, the famous lead singer of the group “Queen”.
Nikolai Baskov also sang with the singer.
Montserrat's song, which is dedicated to her " small homeland", Barcelona, became one of the two official anthems of the Olympic Games held there in the summer of 1992.
Montserrat Caballe can rightfully be called a great man; a woman who changed the world through her songs and music. This singer has become a kind of singing symbol of her native Spain, glorifying her homeland throughout the world. Author: Irina Shumilova
Name: Montserrat Caballe (Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepción Caballe y Folk)
Date of Birth: April 12, 1933
Zodiac sign: Aries
Age: 85 years
Date of death: October 6, 2018
Place of Birth: Barcelona, Spain
Height: 161
Activity: Opera singer
Tags: singer, opera
Family status: Married
Montserrat Caballe is the most famous Spanish opera singer, the greatest soprano of our days. Today her name is known even to those who are far from opera. The widest range of her voice, unsurpassed skill and bright temperament of the diva conquered the main stages of the world's leading theaters. Caballe is a winner of various awards. He is an Ambassador for Peace and a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.
On April 12, 1933, a girl was born in Barcelona, who was given the name Montserrat Caballe. You can hardly pronounce her full name right away - Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepcion Caballe y Folk. Her parents gave her this name in honor of the sacred mountain of St. Mary of Montserrat.
In the future, she was destined to become a legendary opera singer, who was given the unofficial status of “Unsurpassed”. The baby was born in poor family chemical plant worker and housekeeper. The mother of the future singer had to earn extra money wherever she could. Montserrat with childhood was partial to music; she spent hours listening to opera arias on records. At the age of twelve, the girl entered the Lyceum of Barcelona, where she studied until her twenty-fourth birthday.
Since money was tight in the family, Montserrat helped her parents, first working in a weaving factory, then in a store and in a sewing workshop. At the same time as studying and earning additional income, the girl took French and Italian lessons.
She studied for four years at the Liceo Conservatory in the class of Eugenia Kemmeni. Hungarian by nationality, ex-swimming champion, singer, Kemmeni came up with own system breathing exercises, the basis of which was strengthening the muscles of the torso and diaphragm. To this day Montserrat enjoys breathing exercises your teacher and her chants.
Having earned the highest score in her final exams, the girl begins her professional career. Patronage famous philanthropist Beltran Mata helped a young girl get into the troupe opera house Basel. The debut of the aspiring singer was the performance main party in the opera La bohème by Giacomo Puccini.
The young artist began to be invited to opera groups in other European cities: Milan, Vienna, Lisbon, and her native Barcelona. Montserrat is mastering musical language romantic, classical and baroque operas. But she is especially good at parts from works by Bellini and Donizetti, in which all the power and beauty of her voice is revealed.
By 1965, the Spanish singer was already known outside her homeland, but she gained worldwide popularity after performing the role of Lucretia Borgia in the American opera Carnegie Hall, when Montserrat Caballe had to replace another star classical scene Marilyn Horne.
After the performance the audience did not let go main character evenings from the stage within half an hour. The interesting thing is that just this year ended Solo career opera diva Maria Callas. Thus, the predecessor, as it were, handed over the palm to Montserrat Caballe, as the best soprano on the planet.
The next peak in creative biography singer was her role in Bellini's opera Norma. This part appeared in the Montserrat repertoire in 1970. The premiere of the play took place at the La Scala theater, and 4 years later the Italian ensemble came on tour to Moscow. For the first time, Soviet listeners had the opportunity to enjoy the sound of the voice of the talented Spaniard, who shone so much in the aria “Norma”. In addition, the diva performed on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in leading roles in the operas Il Trovatore, La Traviata, Othello, Louise Miller, and Aida.
During her career, Montserrat Caballe managed to collaborate with orchestras of such star conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, Georg Solti, Zubin Mehta, James Levine. Her stage partners were the best tenors in the world: Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti. The diva was friends with Elena Obraztsova and Marilyn Horne.
In addition to the main opera stages of the world, the Spaniard performed in the Great Hall of Columns of the Kremlin, the White House in the USA, in the UN Auditorium and even in the Hall of the People, which is located in the capital of the People's Republic of China. For the whole creative life The legendary artist sang in more than one hundred and twenty operas, and hundreds of discs were released with her participation. In the seventy-sixth year, at the eighteenth Grammy ceremony, Caballe was awarded an award for performing the best classical vocal solo.
Montserrat Caballe is interested not only in opera. She tries herself in other projects. The opera diva performed for the first time with rock star Freddie Mercury, leader musical group Queen, late eighties. Together they recorded compositions for the album “Barcelona”.
The composition of the same name was performed by the famous duet at the 1992 Olympics, which took place in Catalonia. The hit broke all world chart records and became the anthem not only of the Olympic Games, but also of the entire autonomous community of Spain.
At the end of the nineties, Montserrat Caballe recorded together with the rock band Gotthard from Switzerland, and also gave joint performance with Italian pop singer Al Bano in Milan. In addition, the singer experiments with electronic music: she records compositions with the Greek author Vangelis, who is one of the founders of the new New Age style.
Among fans of the opera singer, the ballad song “Hijodelaluna” (“Child of the Moon”), which was performed for the first time by the group from Spain “Mecano,” became very popular. Montserrat at one time allocated Russian performer Nikolai Baskov. She noticed in the young tenor great singer and offered him vocal lessons. Subsequently, Montserrat and Basque sang together a duet from E. L. Webber’s musical “The Phantom of the Opera” and famous opera"Ave Maria".
At the age of thirty-one, Montserrat Caballe married fellow opera baritone Bernabe Marti. They met when Marty was asked to perform in place of a sick performer in Madama Butterfly. This opera contains a kissing scene. And then Marty kissed Montserrat so sensually and passionately that the woman almost fainted right on stage. The singer no longer hoped to find love and start a family.
After the wedding, she and her husband sang on the same stage more than once. However, a few years later, Marty decided to leave the stage. Some said that he was diagnosed with heart problems, others said that, finding himself in the shadow of Caballe’s popularity, he decided to devote himself to his family. Be that as it may, the loving spouses maintained their marriage throughout their lives. Soon after the wedding, Montserrat gave her beloved two children: a son, Bernabe, and a daughter, Montserrat.
The girl decided to connect her life with singing, like her mom and dad. She is currently one of the best female vocalists in Spain. At the end of the nineties, mother and daughter performed in the joint program “Two Voices, One Heart,” which opened the next opera season in Europe.
The happiness of Caballe and Marty was not hindered by either the popularity of Montserrat or her excess weight, which began to increase rapidly after the accident. She got into a car accident when she was young; after a head injury, the receptors in the brain that are responsible for lipid metabolism stopped functioning. In an interview, the opera diva explained it this way: when she drinks a glass of water, the body perceives it as if she ate a piece of pie.
With a height of 161 cm, Montserrat Caballe began to weigh more than 100 kg, her figure over time began to look disproportionate, but brilliant singer it was possible to hide this defect with the help of a special cut of clothing. In addition, Montserrat tries to adhere to specific diets, and from time to time she manages to lose weight. overweight. The woman has not drunk alcohol for a long time; for the most part, her diet consists of fruits, vegetables, herbs and grains.
The singer had more serious difficulties than extra pounds. Back in 1992, at a concert in New York, she felt unwell, she was hospitalized, and doctors gave Montserrat a disappointing diagnosis - cancer. They insisted on an urgent operation, but her friend Luciano Pavarotti recommended not to rush, but to contact the Swiss doctor who treated his daughter.
Ultimately, surgery was not needed. After some time, Caballe felt better, but decided to limit herself to solo concert activities, because on the opera stage she is very worried and worried, and the doctors recommended avoiding stress.
On the eve of the New Year 2016, a scandal occurred with the name of the singer Montserrat Caballe. The Spanish tax authorities accused the celebrity of hiding part of his taxes starting in 2010. For this purpose, Caballe has been indicating the state of Andorra as her place of residence for several years.
The court sentenced an 82-year-old woman for tax evasion opera diva to six months' imprisonment and a fine. However, this measure was applied conditionally due to Montserrat disease. At the age of 80, the singer suffered a stroke, which greatly undermined her health.
By the beginning of last year, the conflict between the authorities and Caballe had already been resolved.
This year the opera singer celebrated her 85th birthday. Despite her age, she continues to give concerts. In June, the diva came to Moscow to perform at the Kremlin Palace. And the day before I came to visit Ivan Urgant on the program “ Evening Urgant", where she announced the upcoming performance.
The concert was a family affair, with Montserrat's daughter Marti and granddaughter Daniela appearing on stage with her. Of the sixteen numbers, the opera singer performed only seven. The prima sat in the entire concert wheelchair. IN Lately Caballe has problems with her legs and finds it difficult to move.
On October 6, 2018, information about the singer’s death appeared. She passed away in Barcelona, in a hospital where she was admitted due to bladder problems.
Parties
- The role of Mimi in the opera La bohème by D. Puccini
- The role of Lucrezia Borgia in the opera of the same name by G. Donizetti
- The part of Norma in the opera of the same name by V. Bellini
- Pamina's part in The Magic Flute by W. Mozart
- Marina's part in "Boris Godunov" by M. Mussorgsky
- Tatiana's role in P. Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin
- The role of Manon in the opera of the same name by J. Massenet
- Part of Turandot in the opera of the same name by D. Puccini
- Isolde's role in R. Wagner's Tristan and Isolde
- Ariadne's part in "Ariadne auf Naxos" by R. Strauss
- Part of Salome in the opera of the same name by R. Strauss
- The role of Tosca in the opera of the same name by G. Puccini
Montserrat Caballe (04/12/1933 - 10/6/2018) - Spanish opera singer (soprano). She became famous, first of all, for her bel canto technique and her performances in classical Italian operas by Puccini, Bellini and Donizetti. Huge repertoire (88 roles), about 800 chamber works.
BIOGRAPHY
Montserrat Caballé (sometimes Montserrat, full name Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepción Caballé i Folch) was born on April 12, 1933 in Barcelona in a poor family. She studied at the conservatory at the Barcelona Liceu Theater and graduated in 1954. She entered the Basel Opera in 1956, where her repertoire included the roles of Tosca, Aida, Arabella and Salome.
Between 1956 and 1965 Montserrat Caballe sang in opera houses different cities Europe - Bremen, Milan, Vienna, Barcelona, Lisbon, and also performed the role of Manon in Massenet's opera of the same name in Mexico City in 1964. International fame came to Caballe in 1965, when, due to Marilyn Horne's illness, she replaced American singer as Lucrezia Borgia in Gaetano Donizetti's opera of the same name (concert performance at Carnegie Hall). Caballe's triumph was so great that the audience gave the singer a 20-minute ovation.
The New York Times headlined its review “Callas + Tebaldi = Caballe” and wrote:
“Miss Caballe only had to sing the first romance... and it became clear that she not only has a clear and beautiful voice, but also has excellent vocal skills... She can soar on pianissimo in the highest register, completely controlling every note, and at the highest volume her voice does not loses clarity and precision of the contour..."
The Herald Tribune also wrote:
“No advance advertising could have anticipated the exceptional impression that this stately woman, as if straight out of a Goya painting, made on an audience already spoiled by such stars as Callas and Sutherland. When Caballe sang her first aria... something changed in the atmosphere. For a second it seemed that people stopped breathing..."
In the same 1965, Caballe, at the personal invitation of Rudolf Bing, made her debut at the New York Metropolitan Opera, where she performed the role of Margarita in Faust. After that, she performed on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera until 1988. Among best games, performed on the stage of the famous theater: Louise in “Louise Miller”, Leonora in “Il Trovatore”, Violetta in “La Traviata”, Desdemona in “Othello”, Aida, Norma in the opera of the same name by Vincenzo Bellini.
On January 24, 1970, she made her debut at La Scala, also in the role of Lucrezia Borgia. In subsequent years, she performed Mary Stuart, Norma, Louise Miller, and Anne Boleyn at the La Scala Theater.
In the 1970s, she came to the USSR for the first time, met relatives here - members of her mother’s family, who in the 1930s during Civil War in Spain emigrated to the Soviet Union.
Since 1972 she has performed on the stage of Covent Garden in London (debut as Violetta in La Traviata).
Caballe's creative career lasted 50 years. She has performed all over the world with such masters opera stage, like Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo, performing almost 90 roles and about 800 chamber works. The singer received international recognition thanks to the beauty of her voice and dramatic interpretation of roles. Her fans called her La Superba - "excellent."
Caballe's outstanding vocal achievements include:
- the role of Norma in the opera of the same name by Vincenzo Bellini - video recording from the ancient Roman theater in the city of Orange, made on July 20, 1974; also 3 performances of “Norms” as part of the tour of the La Scala theater in Moscow in the summer of 1974, where Caballe was a huge success (recording was made Central television THE USSR);
- the role of Imogene in Vincenzo Bellini’s opera “The Pirate” - a role from the repertoire of the bel canto era and, as Caballe herself admits, the most difficult in her repertoire in her entire career; recording from a broadcast from Florence from the Florentine Musical May festival (June 1967);
- the role of Queen Elizabeth in Gaetano Donizetti's opera Roberto Devereux - Caballe performed it repeatedly and in different periods your career; in particular, a recording was made from a broadcast from New York on December 16, 1965 (concert performance at Carnegie Hall);
- the role of Leonora in Il Trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi - recording broadcast from Florence in December 1968, conducted by Thomas Schippers; also a 1972 video from Orange, where Montserrat Caballe performed with Irina Arkhipova.
Rock music fans know him from his joint album with the vocalist. Queen Freddie Mercury - Barcelona (1988). Title song dedicated to hometown Caballe - Barcelona, became one of the two official songs of the 1992 Summer Olympics, held in the capital of Catalonia. The song was planned to be presented to the public by Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe, but in November 1991 the singer died, and the song was performed in a recording.
In 1997, the rock ballad “One Life One Soul” was recorded together with the Swiss rock band Gotthard.
In November 2000, she participated in a charity concert-action of the World of Art Foundation, “Stars of the World for Children,” held in Moscow.
On June 4, 2013, during a visit to Armenia, Caballe visited the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. President Bako Sahakyan received the opera singer. Caballe's arrival in Karabakh caused discontent on the part of Azerbaijan, since its authorities consider the NKR as an occupied territory. In connection with Caballe's trip to the NKR, the Azerbaijani Embassy presented a note of protest to the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The note stated that Caballe would not receive an Azerbaijani visa, as he would become persona non grata. On June 8, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree awarding Caballe the Order of Honor.
TAX SCANDAL
In December 2015 the court spanish city Barcelona sentenced Montserrat Caballe to six months in prison for fraud. The singer was accused of tax evasion as individual in 2010 to the Spanish treasury. Caballe was formally listed as a resident of Andorra, which allowed her not to pay taxes in Spain. However, the prosecutor's office established that the singer used her alleged “residence” in Andorra for the sole purpose of avoiding paying taxes, although she herself lived permanently in Barcelona.
Caballe served her sentence on probation. The singer admitted her guilt - she was not personally present in the courtroom, but gave testimony via video link, citing poor health. In addition, 82-year-old Caballe had to pay a fine of 254,231 euros. The singer was also unable to receive government assistance for a year and a half and had to pay another 72 thousand euros in interest for late payments.
PERSONAL LIFE
In 1964, she married Bernabe Marti. In 1966, a son, Bernabe, was born, and a daughter, Montserrat, in 1972.
HEALTH AND DEATH
In January 2002, Caballe told reporters that by the time she last performance on the opera stage at Covent Garden in 1992, doctors announced to her that she was terminally ill with cancer and had a year or two to live. Caballe was offered emergency surgery, but she refused. After a special course of treatment, the singer felt better, she again “wanted to live and sing.” Nevertheless, doctors advised Caballe not to expose herself to stress, and on the opera stage, according to her, she is very worried and worried. That is why the singer decided to limit herself solo performances. In 2002, after a 10-year break, she returned to the stage and performed at the Liceo Opera House in Barcelona, as Catherine of Aragon in Saint-Saëns' opera Henry VIII.
For the past ten years, Caballe has walked with the help of crutches or wheelchair. After a car accident in 2002, she developed problems with her legs.
In June 2010, during a concert, Caballe fell and seriously injured her left knee; after the injury, she was treated for a long time.
On October 17, 2012, on the eve of a concert in Yekaterinburg, Caballe fainted in her room at the Atrium Palace Hotel and, falling, broke her arm and was taken to a regional hospital, where doctors diagnosed a microstroke and shoulder damage. However, she refused hospitalization in Russia and chose to return to Barcelona. On October 20, she was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Sant Pau Hospital in Barcelona. Due to illness, she had to cancel a number of concerts.
In mid-September 2018, she was hospitalized in a hospital in Barcelona due to problems with her gallbladder or bladder.
A hospital spokesman told The Associated Press that the cause of death opera star will not be made public at the request of the Montserrat Caballe family.
On October 7, a farewell ceremony will take place at the funeral ritual center of Les Corts. The funeral will take place on October 8.
AWARDS AND TITLES
1966 - Order of Isabella Catholic Dame Degree
1975 - Order of Alfonso X the Wise Knight Grand Cross
1988 — Medal “For Merit in the Field of Tourism”
1966 - Gold medal Bolshoi Theater"Liceo"
1988 — National Award in the field of music
1973 - Gold Medal “For Merit in the Fine Arts”
1982 - Gold medal of the Generalitat of Catalonia
1991 - Prince of Asturias Prize for the Arts
1999 - Honorary Doctorate from the Polytechnic University of Valencia
2002 — “Opera Actual” Award
2003 - National Prize of Catalonia for Music
2004 - Music Honor Award
2008 - Honorary Doctorate from the International University of Menendez Pelayo
2010 - Honorary Doctorate from the University of Barcelona
2013 — Madrid International Medal of the Arts
2017 - Gold medal of the Royal Art Circle of Barcelona
1986 - Order of Arts and Letters, commander degree (France)
1997 - Order of Friendship (Russia)
2003 - Order of Merit for the Federal Republic of Germany, degree of Commander's Cross (Germany)
2005 - Order of the Legion of Honor, Knight (France)
2006 — Order of Princess Olga, 1st degree (Ukraine)
2009 - Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, Knight Grand Cross (Italy)
2013 - Order of Honor (Armenia)
1968 - Grammy Award in the category “Best Classical Vocal Solo Performance” - “Rossini: Rarities” (USA)
1974 - Grammy Award in the category “Best Opera Recording” - “Puccini: La Boheme” (USA)
1975 - Grammy Award in the category “Best Opera Recording” - “Mozart: Cosi Fan Tutte” (USA)
1994 — Title “UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador” (UN)
1996 - “Echo Klassik” Award in the category “Singer of the Year” - “Hijo de la luna” (Germany)
2000 — Honorary Doctorate from the Russian University of Chemical Technology (Russia)
2000 - “Echo Klassik” Award in the “Special Prize” category (Germany)
2007 — “Echo Klassik” Award in the category “Lifetime Achievement” (Germany)
2007 — Latin Grammy Award in the category “Best Classical Album” - “La Canción Romántica Española” (USA)
2007 - Honorary title "Kammersänger" of the Vienna State Opera (Austria)
2007 - Gramophone Award in the field classical music in the Lifetime Achievement category (UK)
2013 — Induction into the Hall of Fame of Gramophone magazine (UK)
(full name - Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepcion Caballe i Folch, cat. Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepcion Caballe i Folch) was born in Barcelona on April 12, 1933.
The name of the future singer was given in honor of the local sacred mountain, where there is a monastery named after Our Lady, whom the Catalans call Saint Mary of Montserrat.
In 1954, Montserrat Caballe graduated with honors from the Philharmonic Dramatic Lyceum of Barcelona. During her studies, she helped a family that was in a difficult financial situation and worked as a saleswoman, cutter, seamstress, while simultaneously studying English and French.
Thanks to the patronage of the Beltran family of philanthropists, Mata Monserrat was able to pay for her studies at the Barcelona Lyceum, and then this family recommended the singer to go to Italy, paying her all expenses.
In Italy, Montserrat Caballe was accepted into the Maggio Fiorentino theater (Florence).
International recognition came to Montserrat Caballe in 1965, when she replaced American singer Marilyn Horne as Lucrezia Borgia at New York's Carnegie Hall. Her performance became a sensation in the world of opera. The audience applauded the unknown singer for 20 minutes.
In the same 1965, Caballe performed at the Glyndebourne Festival and made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera, and since 1969 she has sung several times at La Scala. Monserrat's voice sounded in London's Covent Garden, the Paris Grand Opera, and the Vienna State Opera.
In 1970, on the stage of La Scala, Montserrat Caballe sang one of her best roles - Norma from the opera Norma by Vincenzo Bellini.
Montserrat Caballe organizes projects for young vocalists: conducts his own vocal competition, patronizes the project "Voices of Montserrat Caballe".
The singer is actively involved in charity work. She is an Honorary UN Ambassador and a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. Established a fund to help sick children under the auspices of UNESCO.
Montserrat Caballe celebrated her 60th birthday with a concert in Paris, the entire proceeds of which went to the World AIDS Research Fund.
In 2000, she took part in a Moscow charity concert as part of international program"Stars of the World for Children", organized to help gifted disabled children. She gave charity concerts in support of the Dalai Lama, as well as Jose Carreras, when he began to have health problems.
The singer has won many prestigious international awards. She was awarded orders and medals various countries, including the Spanish Order of Isabel, the French Order of the Commander of Arts and Letters, the gold medal of the Academy of Letters, Science and Art of Italy.
Montserrat Caballe is married to opera singer Bernabe Marty. They have two children: a son, Bernabe Marti, and a daughter, Montserrat Marti, who also became an opera singer.
The material was prepared based on information from open sources
Spanish opera singer (soprano) Montserrat Caballe (full name Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepcion Caballe i Folch, cat. Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepcion Caballe i Folch) was born in Barcelona on April 12, 1933.
The name of the future singer was given in honor of the local sacred mountain, where there is a monastery named after Our Lady, whom the Catalans call Saint Mary of Montserrat.
In 1954, Montserrat Caballe graduated with honors from the Philharmonic Dramatic Lyceum of Barcelona. During her studies, she helped a family that was in a difficult financial situation and worked as a saleswoman, cutter, seamstress, while simultaneously studying English and French.
Thanks to the patronage of the Beltran family of philanthropists, Mata Monserrat was able to pay for her studies at the Barcelona Lyceum, and then this family recommended the singer to go to Italy, paying her all expenses.
In Italy, Montserrat Caballe was accepted into the Maggio Fiorentino theater (Florence).
In 1956 she became a soloist at the Basel Opera (Switzerland).
In 1956-1965, Montserrat Caballe sang in opera houses in Milan, Vienna, Barcelona, and Lisbon. There she performed many roles in operas different eras and styles.
In 1959, Caballe joined the troupe of the Bremen Opera House (Germany).
In 1962, the singer returned to Barcelona and made her debut in Arabella by Richard Strauss.
International recognition came to Montserrat Caballe in 1965, when she replaced American singer Marilyn Horne as Lucrezia Borgia at New York's Carnegie Hall. Her performance became a sensation in the world of opera. The audience applauded the unknown singer for 20 minutes.
In the same 1965, Caballe performed at the Glyndebourne Festival and made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera, and since 1969 she has sung at La Scala several times. Montserrat's voice sounded in London's Covent Garden, the Paris Grand Opera, and the Vienna State Opera.
In 1970, on the stage of La Scala, Montserrat Caballe sang one of her best roles as Norma from the opera Norma by Vincenzo Bellini. In 1974, the singer toured with La Scala in Moscow with the opera Norma.
Montserrat has performed with such conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, James Levine, Zubin Mehta, Georg Solti, as well as famous singers Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, Marilyn Horne, Alfredo Kraus and Luciano Pavarotti.
She sang in such historical places as the Great Column Hall of the Kremlin, The White house in Washington, the UN General Assembly Auditorium in New York, the Hall of the People in Beijing.
Montserrat Caballe virtuoso bel canto singing.
The singer's repertoire includes operas composed by Verdi, Donizetti, Rossini, Bellini, Tchaikovsky and others. She has performed about 125 opera roles and has released more than 100 discs.
Montserrat Caballe was known not only as an opera singer. In 1988, she recorded the album "Barcelona" with rock musician and Queen leader Freddie Mercury. Barcelona song created for Olympic Games 1992, eventually became a symbol of Barcelona and the whole of Catalonia.
Montserrat also collaborated with the Greek composer and electronic music performer Vangelis in two musical works(March with me and Like a dream), which were included in her album Friends for Life, where she sang a duet with various famous pop stars including Johnny Holiday and Lisa Nilsson.
Caballe is one of the few opera singers whose pop recordings have charted.
The singer was actively involved in charity work. She was an Honorary Ambassador of the United Nations and a Goodwill Ambassador for UNESCO. Established a fund to help sick children under the auspices of UNESCO.
Montserrat Caballe celebrated her 60th birthday with a concert in Paris, the entire proceeds of which went to the World AIDS Research Fund.
In 2000, she took part in a Moscow charity concert as part of the international program “World Stars for Children,” organized to help gifted and disabled children. She gave charity concerts in support of the Dalai Lama, as well as Jose Carreras, when he began to have health problems.
