Voice Teacher Reaction to Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe´- Barcelona 

A heartbreaking comment which Caballe made, when Mercury asked her to fulfil his fanhood's dream of singing in duet with 'the most beautiful voice in the world', was:' But I am old, I am big.' Mercury's response was magnificent. 'Music knows no age'. They set each other free.

She said that after she did this she noticed more young people coming to her performances. She said, "They wanted to come see the woman who screamed with Freddie." When doing this performance Freddie was planning on toning down his dramatic theatrical moves until Mike Moran (co-writer of this song) reminded him that she was an opera diva and that he might need to up his game in that department.

Freddie said that Montserrat was the greatest singer on Earth. She was told and asked him to do some music with her, and obviously it worked out well.

This is a beautiful story of friendship, respect, creativity and the most finest and astonished music !!! Freddie and Montsy dared to go beyond the boundaries and achieve an incredible music and an incredible historical milestone in music 🎼 🎵 🎶. It was also the time when Freddie knew about his illness ... and he told Monserrat about it. Monserrat said, later in an interview: "While he was singing I noticed that his eyes were shiny with tears. I give him my hand. He clasped it and kissed it. It was clear he was suddenly aware of his own fate. They were tears of farewell. It was his goodbye , at least to the stage ". Montserrat Caballé

I don't care what the singer looks like as long as it sounds good.

4:42 RIP headphone users

Lets not forget Freddie wrote this song for her to sing with him. There is a whole album that they did together. Mike Moran and Freddie wrote it together. Think about it not only could he hold his own with Montserrat he wrote this beautiful music. It is hard to fathom the amount of talent that man had. Thank you for watching and reacting such a beautiful song.

She does her thing and Freddie dances around her light, it’s a little bit magic seeing two powerful singers meet like that!

Valerie, I read that when they recorded this song Freddy was totally amazed when Monserrat could modular her voice with such control whereas he had to physically move away from the microphone to get the same effect. I thought that was a cool insight into how much control she had, as Freddy was certainly an incredible talent.

This duet is the best.

Wonderful review, thank you. This is my favorite time of Freddie Mercury's career; his collaboration with "Montsi", as she was called by all her friends. So sad to hear that today's opera world is more focused on looks as opposed to singing and performing well. Montserrat said (in an interview about her year performing with Freddie) that she once asked him (paraphrased), 'Why me, Freddie? I am old. I am big...' to which Freddie replied, 'Music has no age'. They truly had a deep love for one another. She also mentioned that her collaboration with him brought more young people to explore the world of opera, saying in her beautiful accent, 'because all the young people want to find out who this lady is who screams with Freddie'. She had a sense of humor as wonderful as her voice :)

I saw a documentary about Queen years ago. Brian May said that when Monserrat first sang with Freddie she absolutely fell in love with him and refused to leave for a concert she was performing in.

Caballe is the goddess of pianissimo...ugh... and her control...jesus..it's legendary.. and of course Freddie..a legend in his own right

The last interview Montserrat Caballe gave in 2017 i think. they of course talked about her friendship with Freddie. She looked right at the camera and said "I miss you Freddie, I'll see you soon, i love you" She didn't live past the year.

Thank you, I love the Barcelona album so much. So underestimated! All Freddie fans should check it out. The songs he composed for that album were amazing and he sang so beautifully as usual.

There are many tapes on youtube now of Freddie's guide vocals for this album. He wrote these songs for HER. He loved her so much. So, when he'd send her the songs, he'd use his falsetto as a guide vocal for Monsteratt.

Freddie one of the greatest showmen of all time

The album Barcelona is incredible. True Freddie through & through. Spanish, English & Japanese!

Montserrat and Freddy Mercury I just love them. They are so beautiful . There voices together lift the spirit..fun, exciting ..the entire performance is never old. Sheer Joy!

I showed this to my girlfriend one time and her reply was (crying) thank you for showing me this!

This has been one of my favorite songs for over 30 years. The blending of their two voices and styles is phenomenal.

I have loved Barcelona for a very long time. Not the city the album conceived by Freddie Mercury with Monsey as she was known to him. The fact that a singing coached loved it too makes me happy. I had a friend who was dying of cancer. I gave her a ride in my car and played the Barcelona CD for her. Her reactions were so happy that I felt I'd given her a gift from Freddie and Monsey. Bevann truly loved the music and wanted to hear it again.

I love their performance of How Can I Go On from 1992.

Freddie thought he might have to modulate his performance when he went on stage with Montserrat. It didn't take long for him to realize the truth of it.

One of the best things Freddie could have done. You can tell she adored him....

Definitely one of my favourite Freddie mercury songs 100%

Caballe said of Freddie "His technique was astonishing. No problem of tempo, he sang with an incisive sense of rhythm, his vocal placement was very good and he was able to glide effortlessly from a register to another. He also had a great musicality. His phrasing was subtle, delicate and sweet or energetic and slamming. He was able to find the right colouring or expressive nuance for each word." High praise indeed.

Her voice and her breath control were outstanding. One of my favorite sopranos ❤️❤️❤️

Beautiful song. Sounds almost like Christmas.

Have we noticed how FABULOUS our Freddie looks, dressed as if he were born to wear that tux, quite a change from the Superman shirt and other "rock" outfits, but just as much Freddie!

Love watching this as they both sound amazing & Look so happy. How can I go on is another beautiful duet. Exercises in free love by Freddie is mind blowing to hear & is hard to believe it’s him. The story behind the making of this album is inspiring & I’m so happy Freddie was able to achieve this collaboration before his death. The music world lost two amazing legends.

Ty Valerie, when i first heard it in the late 80's, i fell in love with the song, the arrangement and Montserrat. It didnt do well at first, and wasnt a hit, not untill the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona, a year after we lost the best male vocalist of all time. (to me anyway) Freddie always been a huge part of my life, my cousin had me listen to Queen and Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and the Beatles at the ripe old age of 5 or 6, or, the mid/late 70's, and i am still thankful for him teaching me about real music at that early age. (My favorite song at the time was "Disco Duck" by Rick Dees, no wonder he felt obligated to show me the music of Queen and the likes hehehe) I remember it all like it was yesterday, Queen's comeback in the 80's, Live Aid, the string of foreshadowing hits in the late 80's and early 90's, his unexpected death (after all, we didnt know he had Aids) and the amazing Tribute in his name, after his untimely death, so musicians and the world alike, could say goodbye to Freddie. GAWD i do miss Freddie still...... if any signer was taken away from us way too soon, then it has to be Freddie. Ty Valerie, for this piece of musical history, this song was, and always will be, amazing. (ps "Video killed the radio-star" by the Buggles was/is a great song, that indeed warned of exactly that, great voices being shunned because there was younger and prettier singers to look at... instead of listening to)

You're absolutely spot on, the likes of Mama Cass wouldn't get a contract these days. A world without the Mamas and the Papas isn't worth living in.

Love to see the happiness on your face while hearing this.

Very interesting remark that this intersection of the rock culture and opera is the precursor of the Dimash 2-in-1 style. Also, Mrs Caballe made a ''visible'' effort to keep her volume down so that not to overshadow Freddie (although the song was pre-recorded, as Freddie's illness at that time was visibly progressing ).

Totally agree on looks do not make the artist.

Goosebumps ! Fantastic ! Omg

Love the way Freddy (and Monti) makes people so happy and enthralled when listening to him.

You were making sighs of pleasure watching towards the end. I absolutely agree. I was surprised this song was not better known in the US. It was very big here in the UK at the time, but I'd forgotten just how incredible it was.

It's beautiful how you express pure happiness watching (listening) to them! Childlike and sincere. 😊

WE MISS YOU FREDDIE WE ALWAYS WILL

the song that after all this years still gives me goosebumps ,i was 6 when it aired and made me fall in love with the music of freddy solo and with queen ,its timeless

Montserrat did an interview (I guess for Spanish entertainment) and when asked about partnering with Freddie she said it was the most freeing time of her career. That she had the most freedom to use her voice as she wanted on tour with him. In fact, when they started the tour Freddy was trying to downplay his usual power and flair so he wouldn't upstage her. Montserrat met him diva for diva and he had to catch up to her.

That moment when Caballe drops her voice then glides up into the higher notes still thrills me after all this time.

One of my favorites...such different styles but so much love!!!

Thank you for a wonderful wonderful review. I wish more of them were like your analysis. I loved Freddie in Queen since the 70's, but this was such a beautiful sea change from what we were used to hearing. Thank God for platforms like RU-vid that are allowing the youth of today to experience a taste of these people's genius. Freddie's artistry will live on forever and today's youth now can get the wonderful flavor of musical heroes like Montserrat. I've lost count of how many times I've gone back and listened to this and "How can I go on" and it still brings happy tears to my eyes. Thanks again for your awesome review.

You need to see the video of Golden Boy. It covers a variety of music genres. It is amazing.

Freddy had told her that he would not be around in 1992 to perform it. She only had 3 days free to record with him. She even agreed to do an album with him of his music. A shame he wasn't able to be around long enough to record it. I am sure it would have been amazing. Somebody to love would be a good one to have you do. RIP Freddie and Monserrat

the friendship between them was very strong, far beyond this song. Good video

I love this,. You were literally giggling at some points! A truly masterful performance though, kind of hard not to.

I can not listen to this song without a box of kleenex within reach. Thanks for the reaction.

Freddie wan't singing live at this point because he was already sick - he had received his diagnosis and revealed it to Montserrat while they were recording, as he said he felt he owed it to her. She said he owed her nothing and that it made no difference, and always spoke so highly of him, saying he was sweet, considerate, and astoundingly talented. There're so many beautiful songs they recorded together, though! They did an entire album with 10 songs, and they definitely did adore each other. She was at the unveiling of his memorial with Freddie's mother, and was very upset by his death. He was apparently so nervous to meet her at first, as he was a huge fan. The most astounding thing he might have ever recorded in his career was "Exercises in Free Love", which didn't have lyrics but was just him sending her a demo/idea for a song - he sang her planned parts in countertenor, and sounds like a female opera singer! She was so shocked it was him, and insisted on releasing it as it was. There's no video of him singing, but definitely check out the recording!

Now, that's what I call SINGING! The Beauty and the Beast melting together their outstanding voices in perfect harmony :-)

Love her reaction. So glad she did their duet, as I've wondered what a voice teacher would say about this.

Dear Valerie, Cabajjé said once: Freddie tought me he can I use better and different way my voice that I didn't know I was capable of!!. And before the recording sessions FReddie sent her a recording with his own voice singing Cabajjé 's part as well, so she would hear how it should sound! Unbelieveble. They loved each other very much. Freddie was her biggest fan in the world. Unfortunatelly they weren't happy at all when they performed this song in Barcelona, as Freddie have told her he was suffering from AIDS. Freddie's eyes were full of tears because he already know this could be his last performance, and Montserrat know his beloved friend was going to die. She was devastated. They even couldn't sing, so they were just mouthing as Freddie had a very severe throght infection. In addition the technicians made a huge mistake, when they started the casette it was too slow, so it has to be stopped and they had to start again from the beginning. So everyone had realized they weren't singing, but the audience were very understanding and they got standing ovation at the end.

One of Freddie's last recordings, DON'T TRY SO HARD, is an absolute must for you to hear. Thanx.

I have watched all of the video Montserrat performances that I’ve been able to find (thank you RU-vid) and it is with every performance and even every practice session that she has with Freddy, that I can see how radiantly happy she is. It is clear that their love for each other is absolute and for this sublime opera star, she is happiest in these performances than she is in any other performance of her entire career. Not just happy with her performance, but personally happy to her core. This is what Freddy did for her.

Pavarotti did the same thing across many different genres and was glorious doing it, and I was fortunate enough to see him perform in Washington DC, a dream come true.

Goosebumps.every.time!.So.Beautiful.

This brings me back to my early childhood, when i was around 7 here in Barcelona this was a big thing, it was part of the promotion of the Barcelona'92 olympic games and it was everywhere. It was planned that they performed this for the Opening Ceremony but sadly Freddy didn't make it to 1992. Still, I feel proud Barcelona was blessed with the touch of this two great performers, it is a great song.

I'd like to see Mick Jagger sing this masterpiece...I mean there can be only one!Freddie is larger than life...Love your videos...Keep it up!

Great choice! always makes me smile.

One of beautiful Freddie’s moments of pure indulgence. They became such good friends. Beautiful.

Both artist floored everyone somehow voices blend well together

I loved your reaction , it was clear to see how much you enjoyed this song , the entire album is a GEM ! 😃

That could well be the most beautiful thing I've ever heard.

When a dream comes true. That sustained note of Montserrat's towards the end is almost unearthly. Stunning!

Thanks for your reaction, I have enjoyed watching you and listening such two voices

1987 ...... I can still remember seeing this on MTV for the first time. Their voices sound so amazing together. Freddy........such a huge loss.

Beautiful.

This was Freddies dream come true! So glad he was able to before he passed. He knew at this time that he was going to die.

You have to listen to the Barcelona album , just wow .. Great reaction to the greatest showman ever

Love your reaction, I can see pure joy in you and I learned so much from your commentary.

Great to hear an expert view on this ensemble. They were awesome together. Love your hair Valerie, looks fabulous...so natural.

Can I suggest you check out Freddie's Exercises in Free Love. No words, just notes, but it shows off the things Freddie could do with that amazing voice of his.

Amazing how their voices go together. ❤️❤️

A truly epic performance!!!

Magicos..love Freddie ❤❤❤❤

Beautiful Song for a Beautiful City ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Good reaction. The only thing I will point ya out on is Freddie's peak was ten years before this song. This was towards the end when he was first diagnosed

This was recorded for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992

Son increíbles los dos esta canción te llena el alma

Wonderful reaction! So much more to explore. Freddie confessed to Montserrat that he wouldn't be able to actually perform Barcelona live at the Olympics (1992). He told her he was dying (one of the few) and she cherished that he confided that to her. Breaks my heart. But there are other songs, an entire album. And early explorations as Freddie struggled to write the perfect music for her. He was in awe! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-24PoxVBeAaE.html

I just watched this video and was glad I did. I have seen them both performing this a couple of times and it is stunning. You mentioned that a persons looks play such an important part in how they are perceived. I would love you to listen watch this audition of Charlotte and Johnathan on BGT. So young with a terrific voice. Thank you for your reactions.

i m a heavy rock fan ,this makes me cry when i hear it ,such a beautifull song

„The Golden Boy“ with Freddie and Montserrat 🤘🤩

Woooow!

We love you Freddy ❤️❤️❤️

Quiero darle mis felicitaciones porque veo que usted es profesor de canto en serio,y tiene una vos maravillosa simplemente hablando y no quiero imaginarme cantando,, por favor, y Freddy y Monserrat para mí son los número uno, muchas gracias por su video!

Please react to Tommy and Tania from Beste zangers 2017 preforming Barcelona! It's really awesome!

One of the best Duets ever!

Goosebumps galore

This is a beautiful story. Freddie loved opera and heard Montsy at convent garden (he went to Pavarotti). He immediately declared that she was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard and he wanted the whole World to hear her. Freddie dreamed of meeting and singing it Montsy, but contrary to his stage image, Freddie was extremely shy and thought someone so famous would not want to meet him (he was probably by far the most famous singer in the world at this time). Anyway, during an interview with Spainish TV, Freddie was asked what he liked about Spain said he loved Montserrat Caballe. Montsy children were massive Queen fans and played their music around the house. So Montsy invited Freddie to come to Barcelona. Freddie apparently spent ages practising what he would say and how he could persuade her to sing with him. But when she arrived he forgot everything in his excitement and just gushed "I wrote a song for you". If you listen to the song Barcelona it is about Freddie's dream of singing with Montsy and this first meeting in Barcelona "I had this perfect dream, this dream was me and you, I want all the World to hear you, ...." Freddie and Montsy had a beautiful relationship and the love between them is obvious just from the way they look at each other. One is that when writing songs for Montsy, Freddie would sing the melody as an operatic Soprano and tape it, to see if Montsy liked it before starting the lyrics. One of these recordings was released "exercises in free love" after Freddie's death. When Montsy heard this tape, she secretly loved it, but told Freddie she wasn't sure about it and asked if she could take the tape to listen to later. She then got a friend to write lyrics and orchestrate it. She then surprised Freddie by singing it for him at a concert at convent garden when he was in the audience. They then recorded this Spainish version as a duet on the Barcelona album.

How can I go on, definitely !

Thank you for sharing your very perceptive insights to Freddie and Monserrat's performance. It certainly embellishes my pleasure in watching these. If it is not already on your list, try The Golden Boy from this same album. A whole new facet of their talents. Listening to Freddie without seeing the live performance is like listening to a great television show with only the audio on.

Valerie, Montserrat and Freddie became very very good buddies. She got a kick out of him and his charming and funny personality. They'd stay up until the wee hours in Freddie's beautiful suite with his beautiful piano and sing for hours, enjoying much Cognac and laughter. She was actually enthralled with the idea of rock music and Freddie was captivated with opera. They formed a wonderful friendship, and laughed with each other A LOT!! You're correct, they truly admired and liked each other. I recently watched a video about the two of them, and it highlighted their wonderful chemistry and the fact that they were from two different worlds; however, both loved music. It was a special friendship!!

I'm age and 70 and had no idea that opera singers were being encouraged to loose wight. This is perfect just as it is.

ESPECTACULAR. Un saludo.

You are so correct, the voice should be the measure. Nothing else.

Check out Exercises in free love by Freddie Mercury. It’s him singing both parts and send her his recording. It’s incredible! Also Freddie and Monserrat singing How Can I Go On is super beautiful. I adore their voices in this song. I doubt there are any other rockstars that could not only sing so beautifully with a rock star but write the music. It’s a classical album but he wrote this along with Mike Moran. Such talent here!