:lol: :34:
Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe "Barcelona"

With Barcelona,
Queen singer
Freddie Mercury realized his long-lived dream of performing with an opera singer; in this case,
Montserrat Caballe. While it's certainly a treat for any fan of
Mercury's to hear this album, it's a difficult record to recommend. Most fans of opera will probably find it far too simplistic and pop-based, while many rock fans are sure to find the record too classical. The first half of the album, however, is deserving of a spin for any open-minded listener. Consisting of semi-operatic melodies with grand production, songs like "Barcelona" and the Eastern-sounding "La Japonaise" are startling in their beauty; the two singers from opposite ends of the music spectrum working surprisingly well off each other. The most classically operatic pieces of the project, "Ensueno" and "The Fallen Priest," are alternately gorgeous and powerfully dramatic...
Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepción Caballé i Folc, better known as
Montserrat Caballé (born
April 12,
1933), is a
Catalan Spanish operatic soprano renowned for her
bel canto technique and her interpretations of the roles of
Rossini,
Bellini, and
Donizetti.
The result of one of her brief excursions to the world of pop music, Caballé's duet with rock singer
Freddie Mercury,
Barcelona , was a hit single in
1987, accompanied by an
album of the same name. The title track later became the anthem of the
1992 Summer Olympics which was hosted by the city, and appeared again in the pop music charts throughout Europe. Caballé also performed the song live, accompanied by a recording of the deceased Mercury, before the
1999 UEFA Champions League football final in
Barcelona's
Nou Camp stadium.