When Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé shared the stage for a performance of “How Can I Go On” no one expected it to be so special. They were both iconic figures but from completely different musical realms, so it was an unusual pairing but a remarkably successful one. Their live performance at La Nit has become iconic for Freddie Mercury fans who have watched this video on YouTube over 83 million times.
They started singing together when Freddie Mercury expressed his admiration for Caballé and mentioned he would love to sing alongside her. Freddie had always been a opera fan and had a desire to explore the genre. The two met in Barcelona, Spain, where they took the idea forward as they found many common musical interests and so decided to work together on what would become their album “Barcelona.” Listen below to “How Can I Go On” live from La Nit.
Freddie Mercury was a man of many musical talents. In 1987 performing live on stage with the Catalan operatic soprano, Montserrat Caballé, Freddie showcased his own operatic talents. The performance was live at Ku Club in Ibiza and the duet went on to be officially released as a single the following year.
The festival was arranged to celebrate Spain hosting the Olympic Games in 1992 in Barcelona. Many artists appeared to perform at the festival including Freddie and Montserrat Caballé.
On the Island of Ibiza back in May 1987 Freddie performed as part of a festival called “Ibiza ’92′”. Freddie was probably best known for his incredible performances and songwriting for the iconic rock band Queen, however, his solo career took him to many world-renowned opera houses across the world.
Known as the ultimate showman who had an array of different music tastes from disco to classical. The thing that separated Freddie from the rest was his talent to perform them all. “He was a restless spirit, a true chameleon who revelled in his own contradictions.”