When Freddie Mercury met Monserrat Caballé

Best known for making rock music, Mercury also had a passion for opera, so when Caballé agreed to record an album with him, he believed it to be the pinnacle of his career.

They went on to record Barcelona, combining elements of pop and opera to create the memorable theme for the 1992 summer Olympics in her home city. Sadly, Mercury died before the games began on 25th July 1992, so he never had the chance to perform the iconic anthem with Caballé at the opening ceremony.

Mercury’s love of opera

Born in Zanzibar in 1946, Mercury learned to play the piano at seven and formed a school band, The Hectics, at 12, playing rock and roll. According to band mates, he had an uncanny knack of listening to a song once on the radio and playing it afterwards on the piano.

After moving to Middlesex in 1964, Mercury left Ealing Art College in 1969 with a diploma in graphic art and design. He played in a succession of bands, before forming Queen in 1970.

The band enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame, selling more than 300 million records globally since their formation. Bohemian Rhapsody, their most famous single and the best-selling British record of 1976, charted at number one all over the world, topping the British singles chart for nine weeks.

Mercury’s amazing vocal range spanned four octaves, which created his distinctive style, but he always spoke of his desire to “bring opera to the masses”, which is something Queen did with Bohemian Rhapsody.

Montserrat Caballé

One of Mercury’s icons was world-famous Spanish opera singer Montserrat Caballé, who won many accolades, including three Grammy Awards, during a career spanning six decades. Known as one of the best sopranos of the 20th century, she performed many roles, especially enjoying the works of Verdi, Bellini, Rossini and Donizetti. She shot to fame internationally when appearing in Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia in 1965 at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Born in Barcelona in April 1933, she grew up listening to opera with her father Carlos Caballé Borrás and was inspired by the Spanish singer Miguel Fleta.

She studied music at Barcelona’s musical college, Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu, before making her stage debut, aged 23, as Mimi in Puccini’s La Bohème in 1956.

Her career took her all over the world, singing with many prestigious opera companies, with stars including Luciano Pavarotti and Plácido Domingo.

As well appearing on stage, Caballé released many critically acclaimed albums, both of recitals and complete operas. In seven years, between the late 1950s and early 1960s, she had sung more than 40 roles. By the 1990s, she had released more than 80 records and had played 88 different roles in around 3,800 live performances.

Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe

When Freddie Mercury met Montserrat Caballé, it was one of the most famous meetings in the entertainment industry, as it came about as a result of Mercury’s interview on Spanish television in 1986.

Queen had begun the 1980s with the same level of success as the ‘70s, enjoying massive hits with Another One Bites the Dust, Crazy Little Thing Called Love and the soundtrack album for the Flash Gordon film.

Caballé gave some of her most iconic performances in the 1980s, such as in Tosca and Elisabetta on the stage and starring in the 1986 film, Romanza Final, the biography of opera singer Julián Gayarre’s life. Critics praised her voice for its power, purity, precise control and superb technique.

During his 1986 interview on Spanish TV, Mercury spoke of his love of opera and his great admiration for Caballé, describing her as his “favourite singer in the world”. Caballé was interested in meeting him, so Mercury’s manager, Jim Beach, arranged it and they first met in Barcelona in early 1987.

Mercury admitted he had always dreamed of collaborating with her. To his joy, she was open to the idea, even though she was unfamiliar with rock music.

Freddie Mercury: Barcelona

In an interview, Caballé described the wonderful, close friendship she and Mercury developed over the next four years, saying it was “more than love”. When they met, they decided to collaborate on one song together, but their passion for creating something new led to a whole album.

Their relationship began with Mercury playing some of his songs for Caballé so they could duet together. She described his work as “magnificent, captivating and created from the heart”.

Caballé asked him to record some pure opera when she travelled to the UK to meet Mercury at his Kensington home, suggesting the aria from La Traviata, or a duet for soprano and baritone, but he declined, saying, “People would see me sing for real!”

They enjoyed many nights rehearsing at Mercury’s home, often staying up until 7am because they were swept up in the music. Mercury would play the piano and they both improvised and sang.

The Queen star’s “love and admiration” for Caballé was obvious. He even had roses delivered in every room at her hotel and had a pet name for her, Montsi.

When Caballé sang at the Royal Opera House, watched by Mercury in the audience, she introduced him to the crowd, urging him to stand up and take a bow while she blew a kiss.

The album resulting from their collaboration, Barcelona by Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé, was released in 1988 to great acclaim, combining pop music with opera. A commercial success, it reached number eight in the UK album charts and was a big hit in Spain.

It was suggested that the title track could be the official song of the Barcelona summer Olympics in 1992. Mercury said he hoped it would, adding, “I hope they like it – it’s for the whole world.”

Health diagnosis

Tragically, time was running out for Mercury, who had been diagnosed with AIDS in 1987. He kept his condition private at first, but in 1990, he confided in Caballé that his health was deteriorating. By this time, their single, Barcelona, had been chosen as the anthem of the Olympic Games, but Mercury said to his good friend, “I can’t do the Barcelona performance. I won’t make it.” Caballé stopped in her tracks and asked why, thinking he had changed his mind and didn’t want to, but he told her earnestly, “With AIDS, I can’t think about two years from now.”

Although she had noticed he had lost weight, Caballé had no idea he was dying and was devastated. She told Mercury she was “very thankful” he had told her, because their friendship was “most important” to her.

Sadly, Mercury died on 24th November 1991 at the age of 45: he didn’t live to see their song’s triumphant accompaniment for the 1992 Olympic Games. Caballé died in October 2018 at the age of 85: she never forgot her friendship with the Queen icon.