The combination of pop music with the opera was always the height of pretension. But where would we be without pretentious? As Brian Eno observed it in his 1995 newspaper, “my hypotheses on culture as a place where you can take psychological risks without incurring physical penalties make me think that pretension is the most important thing we do. This is how we do our thought experiences, discover what it would be to be otherwise. ” And with Freddie Mercury and Queen, if it was not a pretension, we would not have “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Hell, we would not have the queen, not final.
But in 1988, the bet did not pay exactly. To the British music press, Mercury was on the way LIVE AID FOME And the shadow of his unsuccessful solo album. And then to hear that he had associated himself with an opera singer Montserrat Caballé? Despite what any hagiographic history of Mercury might say, it has passed your medium rock fan.
Apart from the whims of the charts, however, Mercury teams himself with Caballé was the achievement of a goal he had since 1981. The singer had fallen in love with Caballé's voice in 1981 when he had seen her perform alongside Luciano Pavarotti.
Then started a dance between the two artists. Mercury feared that Caballé would not take this rock star seriously. Caballé, on the other hand, was a fan of rock music like so many people. They had the albums of each other. Finally, at the beginning of 1986, the two met: Caballé's brother was the musical director of the next Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992 and “Who Ticket to theme a song that Freddie Mercury? said the singer.
According to Peter Freestone, Mercury's personal assistant and longtime friend, meeting Caballé was the most nervous he has ever been. Mercury feared that the opera singer was distant and remote. But she was as earth on earth as Mercury in their out -of -stage moments.
As Freestone said, “Freddie assumed that they would only make one song together. Then Montserrat said: “How many songs do you put on a rock album? When Freddie told her eight or 10 years old, she said: “Very good – we will make an album.” “”
Mercury had two deadlines: one based around the Caballé calendar, and the other based on his recent diagnosis of the AIDS virus. Although he composed the opening song “Barcelona” to sing alongside Caballé during the opening ceremonies of 1992, he told him that he would probably not be there for this to happen. (Caballé sang “Amigos Para Siempre (Friends Forever)” with the Spanish tenor José Carreras.) They managed to play togetherSinging “Barcelona” during a promotional event in Ku Nightclub in Ibiza in May 1987.
Mercury wrote the eight songs on the Barcelona album With Mike Moran, the singer-songwriter who had also worked with Mercury on his previous solo album and of which “Exercises in Free Love” was adapted to “Senueño” for the album, with Caballé helping rewriting.
According to Freestone, watching Caballé was the most emotional that he had seen the singer usually reserved: “When Montserrat sang” Barcelona “, after his first take was the closest that I ever saw Freddie in tears. Freddie was emotional, but he always controlled my emotions, because he could let them go out in the world. He was so exalted.
Over time, the album has acquired in reputation, But the criticisms stressed that the label spent most of its budget on the track track—The orchestration, the works, as is suitable for a meeting of two opera spirits – and relied on synths for the remaining songs. Fans require a re -registration that brings the complete orchestra to all tracks. We have certainly seen larger requests granted in recent years, such as the Remix of what many consider the worst album of Bowie. So who can say? Look at this space.
Note: an earlier version of this article appeared on our site in 2020.
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Ted Mills is an independent writer. You can also follow it on Twitter in @Tedmillsand / or watch your movies here.
