Customer Reviews

Montserrat Caballe - Beyond Music

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This 90 minute documentary was made for Catalonian Television by Antonio Farré in 2003 and has been shown in Europe, but not in the US, if I'm not mistaken. It is a detailed, loving, and well written and filmed musical biography of the great Spanish soprano. It is filled with clips from performances all over the world, starting with black & white film from Salle Pleyel in 1965 and up to 2002. There are many interviews with such luminaries as Marilyn Horne, Claudio Abbado, Zubin Mehta, José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Renée Fleming, Joan Dorneman, Cheryl Studer, Samuel Ramey, Mstislav Rostropovich, Giuseppe di Stefano, Joan Sutherland, and more.

Caballé is interviewed extensively in a number of different settings and she tells us, touchingly, of her family's commitment to her early training and of the largesse of a Barcelona family who funded her studies (and much more) when the family's money ran out. She traces her career from her first professional job in Basle and Bremen, her début in her home theater, the Liceu in Barcelona to her triumphs in the greatest opera houses in the world. There are some thrilling musical clips. Particularly so are those of her and Marilyn Horne singing the duet from 'Semiramide' (breathtakingly beautiful) and a performance by Caballé at the Theâtre Antique in Orange of 'Casta diva' in what may be the most stunning performance of it I've ever heard.

There are scenes with her husband, tenor Bernabé Marti, and their two children, including one touching clip from a duet performance featuring her and her now-adult daughter, also named Montserrat and herself possessor of a lovely voice, singing together. Caballé comes across as a charming, gentle (but perfectionistic and stubborn about it), and generous artist. I was touched by the closing credit that says 'This film would not have been possible without the support of my parents and the Bernard family,' the latter being the family who supported her studies all those years ago at the Liceu school.

This DVD is well worth it if you admire this artist.

TT=98 minutes. PCM Stereo/Dolby Digital 5.1. Subtitles in English, French and Italian.

Scott Morrison

A fittingly sumptuous, all-encompassing look at Montserrat Caballe - her life and career, and especially her family. The archival footage of early Caballe performances is riveting, to be sure, and a thankfully sure intelligence in editing informs throughout. The tributes and comments of other artists reveal the awe and affection for Caballe held by her peers. Many affecting moments are spent with her family - brother Carlos, whose managerial genius assured her golden career, husband Bernabe erupting in song at Caballe's birthday party, & her son and daughter reveal their mother and themselves, with insight. Caballe's temperament shines, a complete musicianship utterly rare in a singer, and will and serenity to settle the question of the source of her magical musical gifts, and the success made of them. The enigma of her collaboration with F Mercury is spotlighted, bursts of laughter with her brother, her love of the Liceu Theatre - all contribute to a compelling journey with this artist. Caballe's sensitive and compassionate remarks about Maria Callas are beautiful, and vital to the film. They reflect the passion of Montserrat Caballe: the great love she holds for her family, and for art. Docu-bios abound, this one's something special. An exceptional film at a good price. The rewards are unmistakable.

This docufilm is an ESSENTIAL item for any opera or music lover.

It is one of the most ambitious and large scale docufilms EVER MADE about an opera star. A fascinating journey throughout her life, the world of opera and music in general.

It allows to know and understand Caballé's stature as an operatic titan, her persona, her wisdom and her legacy. And at the same time, enlightens the Opera world to anyone who is not familiar with it - turning it into a completly exciting, emotional and at the same time educational experience!!

To make this film, it took 3 yrs and 22 cities from Saint Petersburg to New York. It takes you on a tour around the world without moving from home!

Among the celebrities interviewed/appearing on the film: Renée Fleming, Placido Domingo, Dame Joan Sutherland, Zubin Mehta, Marilyn Horne, Claudio Abbado, Mstislav Rostropovich, Freddie Mercury, José Carreras, Samuel Ramey, Cheryl Studer, Maya Plisetskaya, Yelena Obratsova, Pr. Luc Montagnier (co-discoverer of the HIV virus), Federico Mayor Zaragoza (former Secretary General-UNESCO), Maria Callas, Joan Dorneman, among many other. (Basically, the Who's Who of the Golden Era of Opera!).

The film also has included ESPECTACULAR archival material, some of it previously UNPUBLISHED, found in archives of theaters and television stations accross the world. Among them, Caballé's legendary debut in Paris in 1966 with 2 arias from Il Pirata and Anne Boleyn - PURE GOLD.

Also, moments of her sensational collaboration with FREDDIE MERCURY and Vangelis, her Paris Turandot, Norma, Tosca, Adriana Lecouvreur, Salome, Roberto Devereux, Semiramide, and many, many more; surprises that any music lover will absolutely cherish!!

Caballé is a fundamental pillar of the XX Century and this film is an INSTANT CLASSIC and a MUST HAVE piece for anyone who loves not only Caballé and Opera, but music in general. It is an indispensable item for any music lover!!!

For anyone who has admired Caballe on recordings but who never had a glimpse of her dramatic presence (and her more than occasional high spirits) on stage, this video will provide an absorbing look at the work and dedication that went into the soprano's wide-ranging career. The documentary will also give the viewer a sense of the joy that the soprano both possesses and brings to her colleagues. The brief (and they are very brief) clips of great past performances will give any opera fan something of enormous wonder and enjoyment: the glimpsed collaborations with Horne, Domingo, Carreras are all the stuff of an ever-retreating Golden Age. Caballe tells a touching story about her relationship with Callas at one point and then you see the final riveting moments of Caballe's exquisite Vissi d'Arte. And what a marvel of sound and control that is! This DVD is well worth having as part of any opera collection.

I think I speak for all Montserrat Caballe fans when I say that this documentary could have gone on for three or four hours, and I still would have been enraptured!

Instead of some bland documentary narrated by a male voice-over, we are treated to the story of Caballe, as told by the Prima Donna Assoluta herself. For those who speak Spanish, this is a double treat. Yo sentia profundamente la sinceridad, calor, y alegria de La Caballe. Cuando te cuenta las historias de su vida espectacular, es como si estuvieras defrente de ella. Es igual con su hermano, Carlos Caballe.

As previously stated by other reviewers, there is ample footage of her triumphant Bel Canto performances. Some of these, like Roberto Devereux, were released some time back on VHS. As most Caballe fans know, there is little that has been released to date on DVD; this documentary teases us with what we have been missing all along, at least those of us who didn't buy the VHS releases back then.

Aside from the myth-making performances, there are the touching tributes and comments from others in the opera world, though I would have personally enjoyed more commentary from Dame Joan Sutherland, another Queen of Bel Canto. Montsy does her own tributes, to Callas and Freddie Mercury. But there is much more than that; there is Caballe singing in the streets, visiting old haunts, and even letting us into her home to meet her family.

We were recently treated to another DVD release, Montserrat Caballe Bel Canto. In addition to taped performances of whole operas, I hope that they will also release the British documentary Montserrat Caballe, where she comments on different roles, and "performs" arias from some of her extraordinary roles.

As a last comment, it was a particular joy to see snippets of her recent performances in Barcelona, of long-forgotten operas. Even being so far past her prime, she easily outshines many of the leading ladies singing today.

Atlast a documentary of the world's greatest soprano on DVD! Montserrat Caballe is the most famous living soprano in the world. She is admired from russia to america and everywhere inbetween, which you get to see as you watch this dvd. The picture on this dvd looks fabulous, it may even be filmed in high definition. I was very pleased with the 16:9 picture and the great sound. You get to follow Caballe as she travels all around the world, and you get introduced to Caballe's family and many of her admirers. Her husband is the great tenor, Benarbe Marti, and you get to see some great interviews with Caballe and her brother(who is also her manager)as well as her daughter, montserrat marti who is a great soprano in her own right. Caballe talks alot about both her family and her country(spain), both she tells us has given her the strengh and tranquality to keep up her busy international carear for almost 50 years. You also get to see many lovely photos of caballe, and some performance clips. This is a must have for any Caballe fan. My only other comments is it should have been another hour, and that the dvd should have had extras, like complete Caballe performances. Still it is well worth getting at 90 minutes long and at such a reasonable price. Caballe I love you, and your generous spirit and your most beautiful voice will live in my heart forever.

To the person who gave the lowest rating -
If you had bothered to read the description of the CD you would have realized that it was a biographical documentary and NOT musical content. I was so pleased to find biographical material on the person with such an exquisite, incomparable voice. In my opinion it rates at least a 6 and would get a 10 from me if it had even 25% music content to go with the biog.

This was my initial purchase at Amazon.com...and it certainly lived up to expectations! Purchased as a gift for a Montserrat Caballe fan, Beyond the Music has added a personal dimension that makes the music even more enjoyable. Happy listening to all who appreciate Caballe's artistry!

This is a comprehensive biography of Caballe the artist and woman. And it is superb. There are several examples of her singing, contributions by colleagues, thoughtful opinions on her career and vocal technique, and highly exciting clips of Caballe in action. The 1974 Orange "Casta Diva" and her 1966 Paris debut concert are jewels.

She really is a exceptional singer, arguably the most beautiful operatic female voice of the 20th century. Her sheer number of stage roles, extended repertory, and vocal longevity are astonishing. No other singer, not even Callas and Sutherland, had such an extensive repertory.

The biography is of very good quality, artistic and technical. I especially loved the combination of images of Barcelona (my favorite city in the world) to the sound of Caballe singing Catalan songs.

There is one inconsistency: Caballe is filmed saying that in 1957 she missed Maria Callas as Norma in Cologne because the Bremen Opera director didn't give her permission to go. Montserrat was so furious with Herr Direktor that she smashed the ink tray on his desk!
Correction: Maria Callas actually sang La Sonnambula, not Norma, in Cologne in 1957. Furthermore, the 1994 Caballe biography book mentions that she was furious with the director and smashed his ink tray because he had refused to give her insurance money for her father's appendicitis operation.

The best thing in this film is found in the bonus tracks, under "Caballe sings Massenet". Here we see her in Rome during Easter 1999, singing an extract from Massenet's LA VIERGE. Despite her age (66) she is simply magnificent here, the piece itself unbearably, torturingly beautiful. She is visibly moved to tears at its conclusion and will move you to tears, too. This bonus track by itself is worth buying the DVD.

Highly recommended.

Este documental repasa la vida personal y la carrera de la soprano catalana MONTSERRAT CABALLE, sin duda una de las mas grandes figuras de la historia de la opera. Amplia seleccion de intervenciones de la cantante (desde sus primeras intervenciones con 'Il Pirata', 'Turandot' o 'Lucrezia Borgia' hasta las últimas rarezas que exhumó como 'La Vierge' de Massenet, 'Henry VIII' de Saint-Saens, u -ofrecido como extra en el dvd- 'Cleopatre', de Massenet, solo por citar unos pocos) se alternan con una narración en primera persona de su vida, sus comienzos, su triunfo y su madurez como artista. Complementan el documental las opiniones de reputados profesionales de varios campos sobre la soprano (del mundo de la musica hablan entre otros Domingo, Abbado, Horne, Bergonzi...) completan las casi dos horas de disfrute al lado de una de las mas grandes divas que existen. Apasionante para los que, como yo, son fans de Montserrat Caballe, pero tambien muy disfrutable para los que no conozcan en profundidad a la Caballé (¿acaso queda alguien que no la conozca?) De visión más que obligada, una vez, al menos.