Last night’s concert at the National Palace of Culture by the “Voice of Spain”, Montserrat Caballé, together with her daughter Montserrat Marti, tenor Jordi Galan and the Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra was an unforgettable experience for all those lucky enough to have been present.

Despite her age and poor health, the opera diva, who is in Bulgaria for the third time demonstrated just how powerful love of music and commitment to art can be. The concert featured different arias, duets, overtures and preludes, as well as the Spanish lyric-dramatic operetta-type genre Zarzuela. Maestro Ricardo Estrada was at his best as conductor of one of the top symphony orchestras in the country.

Montserrat Caballé reached global stardom on 20 April 1965 as Lucrezia Borgia in Carnegie Hall in New York, after which she was immediately invited to the Metropolitan Opera where she sang in Gounod’s Faust. Then came her performance of Barcelona with Freddie Mercury and she gained iconic status. In her career Montserrat Caballé has performed in Madame Butterfly, Turandot, Tosca and Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini, Il Trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi etc. She has performed together with some of the best loved opera tenors – Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo among others.

Hours before stepping out on stage Montserrat Caballé shared her thoughts on life and art:

“My work takes a great deal of willpower and effort. I have always endeavoured to do my best to live up to the expectations of the audience and to the standards set down by the composers. If you don’t you are deceiving them, insulting them. One must always accept what is happening with love. One must give love, especially to those who do not give love back. That is why we are here, to help others. Not to live our lives just for our own sakes,” says Montserrat Caballé and adds: “My husband often said to me that I must write a book about my life, but I don’t think I would be able to do that. My memories come out verbally, not on paper.”

Here is Maestro Ricardo Estrada about the opera diva:

“Throughout the history of opera there have been amazing voices, but the chosen few have always stood one rung higher. I think that Montserrat towers above all others because she has always remained true to the composers and to her own style of singing. She is an angel.”

Music featured in the audio file:

- O mio babbino caro from Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini;

- Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore from Tosca by Giacomo Puccini;

- Ardon gli incensi from Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti.

English version: Milena Daynova