130119 / Caballé

In her sixties, Montserrat Caballé is still considered one of the best sopranos of her generation in the 1990s, continuing to work with great dedication and passion. Returning as a superstar from the great stages of the world to her hometown of Barcelona, where her long career once began at the famous El Liceu Opera House, Montserrat begins work on the opera “Die Walküre”.

Shocked by the death of her friend Freddie Mercury and struggling with her health, she finds herself in a personal and professional crisis that takes her back to her youth and the early days of her singing career in the 1950s, when the director of the conservatory recognised something marvellous in her voice.

According to Venezuelan director Patricia Ortega, who lives and works in Spain, she drew inspiration from Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan”, Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” and Leos Carax’s “Annette”. All three explore classic tales of music and art through a modern narrative and visual approach. As does “Caballé”, which brings us the story of a classical music star, but uses contemporary storytelling, thus creating a stark contrast to the tradition of opera.

Helmut Jänes

https://poff.ee/en/film/caball