What is Montserrat Caballé famous for?

María de Montserrat Bibiana Concepción Caballé i Folch was a Spanish operatic soprano.

Montserrat Caballe sang a wide variety of roles, but is best known as an exponent of the works of Verdi and of the bel canto repertoire, notably the works of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti.

Montserrat Caballe was noticed internationally when she stepped in for a performance of Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia at Carnegie Hall in 1965, and then appeared at leading opera houses.

Montserrat Caballe’s voice was described as pure but powerful, with superb control of vocal shadings and exquisite pianissimo.

Montserrat Caballé became popular to non-classical music audiences in 1987, when she recorded, at the request of the International Olympic Committee, “Barcelona”, a duet with Freddie Mercury, which became an official theme song for the 1992 Olympic Games.

Montserrat Caballe received several international awards and also Grammy Awards for a number of her recordings.

It should be noted that Montserrat Caballe’s international breakthrough came in 1965 when she replaced a pregnant Marilyn Horne in a semi-staged performance of Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia at New York’s Carnegie Hall, which earned her a 25-minute standing ovation.

Montserrat Caballe died on 6 October 2018.