The famous Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé was one of the world’s leading operatic divas during the latter part of the 20th century.
Her repertoire was wide, and went from the bel canto works of Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti, through Verdi, Puccini and the verismo operas of Leoncavallo and Mascagni to works by contemporary composers of the day.
She recorded extensively for EMI throughout the 1970s, when she made several albums of operatic arias and duets as well a number of complete operas.
This 4 CD set brings together the best of Caballé’s EMI recordings and includes highlights from all her complete operas, in which her tenor partners were fellow Spaniards Placido Domingo and José Carreras as well as her husband Bernabé Martí.
The operatic composers whose works are included in the set are Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini, Meyerbeer, Verdi, Puccini, Boito, Giordano, Mascagni and Leoncavallo, and some of the operas represented are La bohème, Madama Butterfly, Tosca, Turandot, Gianni Schicchi, I puritani, Il pirata, Un ballo in maschera, La forza del destino, Aida, Don Carlo, Otello, Cavalleria rusticana, Pagliacci and Mefistofele.
As well as many outstanding operatic items, the set also includes some Spanish songs, namely ‘Las Fuentecitas del Parque’ from Canto a Sevilla by Turina and a complete performance of the delightful Cinco canciones negras by Montsalvatge.
