CABALE MONTSERRAT
(born in 1933)
The most famous Spanish opera singer, performer of 125 opera parts. Cavalier of the Catholic Order of Doña Isabel and the Cross of the Commander of Arts and Letters. He is the Ambassador of Peace, Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO. For charitable activities and assistance in solving environmental and humanitarian problems, she was awarded the title of Honorary Doctor of the Polytechnic University of Valencia and the Russian University of Chemical Technology. D. I. Mendeleev.
Montserrat is located in one of the most picturesque regions of Spain - Catalonia. According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to people here. In memory of this event, a monastery was founded right in the very stone of the mountain. In 1933, a girl was baptized in his church, who in 32 years was destined to become an unsurpassed opera singer.
The Caballe couple, who were afraid of losing their long-awaited firstborn even before birth, made a vow to name their child in honor of the monastery with the hope that the Most Holy Mother of God would save and protect him from troubles. Parents kept this promise, and the sky still protects their daughter.
The family lived in poverty, and little Maria de Montserrat did not really like to go to school. Not so much because she did not shine with her mind, but because her classmates laughed at her reticence and timidity (and especially at her only old dress) and scoffed in every possible way. But when, after the birth of her brother Carlos, her father became seriously ill, the girl, with the maximalism inherent in children, convinced her desperate mother: “I will definitely become famous. And we will have everything you want!” Montserrat believed this at the age of seven, having first entered the opera for the famous Madama Butterfly. Her young charming voice required only a little polishing. But there was no question of any teaching to sing: there was post-war devastation around, and poverty in the house.
Montserrat went to work in a handkerchief factory in order to somehow help her mother support her family. She was ready to say goodbye to the dream of a career as an opera singer, but the spouses-patrons Bertrand paid attention to her talent. To finally decide whether the girl is worthy of help, a professional commission was convened. After the opera arias and folk songs performed by Montserrat, the answer was unequivocal: “Yes!” Later, one of the participants in this test said about Caballe: "She is able to turn even a sigh into a clean note." As a result, Montserrat began her studies at the Barcelona Liceo Conservatory, where she was given a voice that now delights the whole world.
Having conquered the Spanish public, the girl went to conquer the Italian stage. But there she was initially disappointed. Some impresario said that with such a full figure (Montserrat got into a car accident, as a result of which the part of the brain responsible for burning fat atrophied), she did not belong in the opera, and advised her to get married and have children. Then Brother Caballe took over all the work of concluding contracts and organizing performances.
Caballe made her debut on the professional opera stage on November 17, 1956, performing the role of Mimi in La bohème at the Basel Theater. Listeners were delighted with her soft, but very strong soprano. The dream of professional success was turning into reality, but excessive weight seemed to forever block her path to female happiness. Detractors slandered that "Montserrat must marry an opera." But fate smiled at the singer: at 31, she fell in love with tenor Bernabe Marty, and he reciprocated her. They have been together for almost four decades: the wedding took place on August 14, 1964 in the church of the monastery, whose patroness brought good luck to Caballe. They also baptized their daughter, Montserrat Marti, who later became an opera singer, like her mother.
And on April 20, 1964, the finest hour of Montserrat Caballe came. The singer who performed the main part in the opera Lucrezia Borgia fell ill. The performance at Carnegie Hall could not be canceled, and the soloist of the Basel theater was offered to sing, whose impresario Carlos lied that she was familiar with the party. The arias were learned in a minimal amount of time, and Montserrat's star rose on the American stage. Soon after that, she was invited to the Metropolitan Opera - and the voice of Caballe shone in Marguerite from Faust. Montserrat's childhood dream of becoming famous came true.
Music critics are unanimous: the singer is recognized as a master of bel canto, no one leads pianissimo like her, she is considered the best soprano, performing opera parts by Donizetti and Verdi. Caballe performs on the world's largest stages in the most famous operas and with the best conductors. Her repertoire is 125 opera parts. There are also favorites: Butterfly, Manon, Lucrezia Borgia, Aida, Traviata. 80 albums have been released, recorded by Montserrat alone or in collaboration with other singers, which are aimed at attracting young people to classical music. It is generally recognized that in the 400 years of the life of opera there are few singers who have done as much to develop this genre of music as Montserrat Caballe did.
However, at the very peak of her fame, the singer, unexpectedly for everyone, almost completely stopped performing in the opera, and if she sang, then only in small chamber halls. The reason for this lay in the inexorable diagnosis of doctors - cancer. Montserrat refused the operation and underwent a difficult course of treatment. Experts recommended that she avoid stressful situations and not overstrain, which is unrealistic with a full-fledged opera activity. From 1992 to 2002, Caballe limited herself to solo and charity concerts around the world. Often she came to Russia, with which she is connected by blood ties. Her maternal relatives were taken out of Spain in the 1930s. as political emigrants and now live in St. Petersburg. Every time she is in the city, the singer certainly visits the Hermitage, which she considers to be the best museum in the world. And she herself draws well: “I draw for myself, I just like to depict color and light.”
But the most important thing during Montserrat's visits to Russia is the charity event "Stars of the World for Children". The singer has always been socially active, for many years a center for children with Down syndrome has been opened on her estate in Ripoll, where poor children from Barcelona come to relax and gain strength. And in 1986, at the opening of the XXV Olympic Games, together with the leader of the Queen group, Freddie Mercury, Montserrat sang a song about her native Barcelona (although some attribute this event to the fact that the singer is a passionate football fan). When Caballe, at the time of awarding her the title of Honorary Doctor of the Russian University of Chemical Technology. D. I. Mendeleev was asked if she agreed to give all her strength for the happiness of children, she replied: “Only for this it was worth being born and being needed by people.” It is to her that opera fans owe the birth of the genius Jose Carreras and the appearance of Nikolai Baskov on world stages. But "Stars of the World - to Children" occupy a separate place in the heart of the singer. She says: “This project is special: the funds received go to help gifted disabled children… I feel as if I am obliged to these children and needed by them. I believe in man-made miracles." After all, Caballe herself reached extraordinary heights thanks to the patronage of the Holy Virgin, human kindness, incredible love of life and constant work. About 45 years of her work, the Morena Films film studio made a film based on the memoirs of Montserrat and documentary filming.
In 2002, Señora Soprano finally returned to the big stage, performing the part of Catherine of Aragon in Saint-Saens's Henry VII at the Liceo Opera House. As usual, the singer was greeted with a standing ovation, her voice is still beautiful. And let someone say that Caballe's career is heading towards decline, but Maya Plisetskaya is right when she said about Montserrat: “Such stars do not go out. Never".
Opera singer Montserrat Caballe has died in Barcelona at the age of 86. Fame brought her roles in classical operas by Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini. Experts considered her technique of singing bel canto to be unique. She is also known to the general public for her duet with the leader of the Queen group, Freddie Mercury - they recorded the hit song Barselona, which was supposed to be performed at the opening of the 92 Olympics. About the creative path of the singer - in the RBC photo gallery.
Montserrat Caballé was born in 1933 in Barcelona. In 1954, she graduated with honors from the Philharmonic Drama Lyceum of Barcelona. At the beginning of her career, she worked in the opera houses of Basel and Bremen, performed in the theaters of Lisbon, Milan and Barcelona.
In 1965, she replaced the suddenly ill Marilyn Horne (pictured left) at New York's Carnegie Hall, performing the title role in the opera Lucrezia Borgia by Gaetano Donizetti, known for its complexity. The performance brought Caballe international recognition. The American mezzo-soprano called Caballe the next day with congratulations: “You sang and showed such Lucrezia that I would never sing!”
Montserrat Caballe on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater
In 1974, Caballe performed with the La Scala troupe in Moscow, performing the role of Norma from the opera of the same name by Vincenzo Bellini. Sharing her impressions of her first performance in the Russian capital, she said: “I never thought that the Bolshoi is such a wonderful theater, absolutely unique, there are no others like it in the world. The acoustics are perfect. You can sing very quietly, and you can be heard in the very last rows. Since then, the singer has repeatedly visited Russia
In 1987, the artist, together with the leader of the Queen group Freddie Mercury (pictured), recorded the song Barcelona, which a year later was included in the duo's self-titled album. “If I was crazy about the Beatles in my youth, then why not sing with Mercury now? ..” — said Caballe. The artists were supposed to perform the song at the opening of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, but the lead singer of Queen died in November 1991, and the prima donna refused to perform the hit with anyone else.
From left to right: Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross, Luciano Pavarotti and Montserrat Caballe
In 1992, the singer's health deteriorated, she was diagnosed with cancer. After undergoing therapy, Caballe managed to avoid surgery, but she had to leave the opera stage, because doctors advised her to avoid stress. Nevertheless, the singer continued to give recitals, and in 2002 she returned to opera, performing in her native Barcelona on the 40th anniversary of her debut at the Liceo Theater.
Montserrat Caballe and her daughter Montserrat Marti
In 1964, Caballe married the Italian operatic baritone Bernabé Marti. Together they sang in several operas until the singer's husband left the stage. The couple had two children: a son, Bernabe, and a daughter, Montserrat, who also became an opera singer. They performed together with Caballe more than once
The singer was actively involved in charity work, since 1994 she has been a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. In 2012, she was going to give a charity concert in Yekaterinburg, but on the night before the performance she lost consciousness and fell. In one of the clinics in Yekaterinburg, she was diagnosed with a microstroke and a fracture of the humerus. She continued her treatment in Spain.
In 2013, before a concert in Yerevan, Caballe visited Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that official Baku considers to be occupied by Armenia. As a result, the singer is persona non grata in Azerbaijan
In September 2018, the media reported that the singer was undergoing treatment in a hospital in Barcelona. On October 6, she died at the age of 85. The funeral is scheduled for October 8th.
Montserrat Caballe is a famous opera singer from Spain. She has a beautiful female soprano voice. Collaborated with the famous Russian opera and pop singer Nikolai Baskov.
Biography
It must be admitted that the biography of the singer is quite interesting. Her full name is very long - Maria de Montserrat Vivianna Concepción Caballe and Volk. As soon as she started performing on stage, the girl replaced her long name with a shorter and more memorable one.
Montserrat Caballe was born in the difficult thirties in a poor working-class family. Her life in her youth is unenviable. They did not live well: my father worked at a plant that produced chemical fertilizers, and my mother worked part-time in various places. In addition to the daughter, there were also boys in the family.
The girl grew up gloomy and withdrawn, did not communicate much 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, 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 Literature (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. Interestingly, her daughter Montserrat followed in the footsteps of her mother in choosing her life path: 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 the confessions of numerous listeners, her voice sunk 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 about 800 chamber works.
- She released the album "Barcelona" together with Freddie Mercury, the famous lead singer of the Queen group.
Together with the singer, Nikolai Baskov also sang.
The song Montserrat, 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 rightly 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 to the whole world. Author: Irina Shumilova
Name: Montserrat Caballe
Date of Birth: April 12, 1933
Zodiac sign: Aries
Age: 85 years old
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 time. Today her name is known even to those who are far from opera art. The widest range of voice, unsurpassed skill and bright temperament of the diva conquered the main stages of the world's leading theaters. Caballe is a laureate of various awards. He is the Ambassador of Peace, Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO.
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 Concepción 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 into a poor family of a chemical plant worker and a housekeeper. The mother of the future singer had to earn extra money where she had to. Montserrat from childhood was not indifferent to music, she listened to opera arias on records for hours. At the age of twelve, the girl entered the Lyceum of Barcelona, where she studied until her twenty-fourth birthday.
Since the family was tight with money, Montserrat helped her parents, working first in a weaving factory, then in a store and in a sewing workshop. Simultaneously with her studies and additional earnings, 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 her own breathing system, the basis of which was the strengthening of the muscles of the torso and diaphragm. To this day, Montserrat uses the breathing exercises of his teacher and her chants.
Having earned the highest score in the final exams, the girl begins her professional career. The patronage of the famous philanthropist Beltran Mat helped the young girl to be in the troupe of the Basel Opera House. The debut of the aspiring singer was the performance of the main role in the opera La bohème by Giacomo Puccini.
The young artist began to be invited to opera companies in other European cities: Milan, Vienna, Lisbon, native Barcelona. Montserrat masters the musical language of romantic, classical and baroque operas. But especially she gets parts from the works of 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 part of Lucrezia Borgia in the American opera Carnegie Hall, when Montserrat Caballe had to replace another star of the classical stage, Marilyn Horne.
After the performance, the audience did not let the main character of the evening leave the stage for half an hour. It is interesting that the solo career of the opera diva Maria Callas ended just this year. Thus, the predecessor, as it were, handed over the palm to Montserrat Caballe, as the best soprano on the planet.
The next peak in the singer's creative biography was her role in Bellini's opera Norma. This party appeared in the repertoire of Montserrat in the seventieth year. The premiere of the performance took place at the La Scala theater, and 4 years later the Italian team came on tour to Moscow. For the first time, Soviet listeners had the opportunity to enjoy the sound of the voice of a talented Spaniard, who shone so much in the aria "Norma". In addition, the diva performed on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in the leading parts of the operas Il trovatore, La traviata, Othello, Louise Miller, Aida.
During his career, Montserrat Caballe managed to collaborate with orchestras of such stellar 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. Diva was friendly 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 China. Throughout her creative life, the legendary artist has sung in more than one hundred and twenty operas, hundreds of discs have been released with her participation. In the seventy-sixth year at the eighteenth Grammy ceremony, Caballe was awarded the award for the performance of the best classical vocal solo.
Montserrat Caballe is not only interested in opera art. She tries herself in other projects. For the first time, the opera diva performed with rock star Freddie Mercury, the leader of the Queen musical group, in the late eighties. Together they recorded compositions for the album "Barcelona".
The composition of the same name was performed by a 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 of the entire autonomous community of Spain.
At the end of the nineties, Montserrat Caballe recorded with the rock band Gotthard from Switzerland, and also gave a joint performance with the Italian pop singer Al Bano in Milan. In addition, the singer conducts experiments with electronic music: she records compositions with the author from Greece Vangelis, who is one of the founders of the new New Age style.
Among the fans of the opera singer, the ballad song "Hijodelaluna" ("Child of the Moon"), which was first performed by the Spanish group "Mecano", gained great popularity. Montserrat once singled out the Russian performer Nikolai Baskov. She noticed a great singer in the young tenor 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 the famous opera Ave Maria.
At the age of thirty-one, Montserrat Caballe married a colleague, operatic baritone Bernabe Marty. They met when Marty was asked to perform instead of a sick performer in Madama Butterfly. There is a kissing scene in this opera. And then Marty kissed Montserrat so sensually and passionately that the woman almost fainted right on the stage. The singer no longer hoped to meet love and start a family.
After the wedding, together with her husband, they 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 - that, being in the shadow of Caballe's popularity, he decided to devote himself to his family. Be that as it may, the loving spouses kept the marriage throughout their lives. Shortly after the wedding, Montserrat gave her beloved 2 children: son Bernabe and 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. In the late nineties, mother and daughter performed in the joint program “Two Voices, One Heart”, which opened the next opera season in Europe.
Neither the popularity of Montserrat nor her excess weight, which began to increase rapidly after the accident, prevented the happiness of Caballe and Marty. She got into a car accident at a young age, after a head injury in her brain, the receptors 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 had eaten a piece of cake.
With a height of 161 cm, Montserrat Caballe began to weigh more than 100 kg, her figure eventually began to look disproportionate, but the brilliant singer managed to hide this flaw with the help of a special cut of clothes. In addition, Montserrat tries to stick to specific diets, and from time to time she manages to lose extra pounds. The woman has not been drinking alcohol for a long time, for the most part in her diet - fruits, vegetables, herbs and grains.
The singer had difficulties and more serious than extra pounds. Back in 1992, at a concert in New York, she became unwell, she was hospitalized, and doctors diagnosed Montserrat with 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, no surgery was needed. After some time, Caballe felt better, but decided to limit herself to solo concert activity, because she was very worried and worried on the opera stage, and the doctors recommended avoiding stress.
On the eve of the new year 2016, there was a scandal with the name of the singer Montserrat Caballe. The Spanish tax authorities accused the celebrity of hiding part of the taxes since 2010. For this, Caballe has for several years indicated the state of Andorra as the place of residence.
For tax evasion, the court sentenced the 82-year-old opera diva to prison for six months and a fine. However, this measure was applied conditionally in connection with Montserrat's disease. At the age of 80, the singer had a stroke, which greatly undermined her health.
By the beginning of last year, the conflict between the authorities and Caballe had already been settled.
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, she came to visit Ivan Urgant on the program "Evening Urgant", where she announced the upcoming performance.
The concert turned out to be a family one, together with her daughter Montserrat Marty and granddaughter Daniela appeared on the stage. Of the sixteen numbers, the opera singer performed only seven. The prima spent the entire concert in a wheelchair. Recently, Caballe has had problems with her legs, it is difficult for her to move around.
On October 6, 2018, information appeared about the death of the singer. She passed away in Barcelona, in a hospital where she was admitted due to problems with her bladder.
parties
- Part of Mimi in the opera La bohème by D. Puccini
- Part of Lucrezia Borgia in the opera of the same name by G. Donizetti
- Part of Norma in the opera of the same name by V. Bellini
- Pamina in The Magic Flute by W. Mozart
- Marina's part in "Boris Godunov" by M. Mussorgsky
- Tatyana's part in "Eugene Onegin" by P. Tchaikovsky
- Part 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
- Part of Isolde in "Tristan and Isolde" by R. Wagner
- Part of Ariadne in "Ariadne auf Naxos" by R. Strauss
- Part of Salome in the opera of the same name by R. Strauss
- Part of Tosca in the opera of the same name by G. Puccini
