186
- Identity: the
building blocks of
2. Literature
and philosophy
3. Art and
architecture
4. Performing
arts
5. Cinema
and fashion
6. Media and
communications
7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
the details of
We can sing it, just don’t ask us to write it: Spanish opera
Spain doesn’t have a strong repertoire of homespun opera
in the manner of Italy, Germany or France. Most Spanish
composers simply didn’t write that big, concerned more
with composing for piano or guitar. And yet, in recent
years, many of the big vocal stars of opera have come from
Spain. In fact, Spanish singers have been at the forefront
of popularising opera around the world. Four in particular
stand out:
Montserrat Caballé.The legendary Catalan soprano,
renowned for herbel cantostyle, established herself
singing Donizetti operas. Still on stage today, well into
her 70s.
Teresa Berganza. A mezzo-soprano from Madrid who has
wowed audiences since the 1950s with a dramatic stage
presence, honed in particular to Rossini, Bizet and Mozart.
Plácido Domingo.The Spanish tenor gets about: raised in
Mexico, a first US performance in Dallas aged 17, a spell
with the Israeli National Opera and today, conducting and
singing roles in the US. He even has a star on Hollywood
Boulevard.
José Carreras. Catalan Carreras, another tenor, is
particularly au fait with work by Verdi and Puccini. His stage
career flourishes, rejuvenated now after a brush with
leukaemia in the late 1980s.
