Freddie Mercury, Montserrat Caballe

Barcelona

Barcelona' is a single released by Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury and operatic soprano Montserrat Caballé. A part of their collaborative album Barcelona, it also appeared on Queen's Greatest Hits III. The song reflects Mercury's love of opera with his high notes and Caballé's operatic vocals, backed by a full orchestra. Originally released in 1987, it was one of the biggest hits of Mercury's solo career, reaching number eight in the UK Singles Chart. After Mercury's death in 1991, it was featured at the 1992 Summer Olympics, after which the track climbed even higher, peaking at number two in the UK, the Netherlands and New Zealand. Mercury had been a long-time fan of opera, and especially Montserrat Caballé. In 1986, he mentioned on Spanish television that he would like to meet her, and they met for the first time in Barcelona in February 1987. Later, when the city had been chosen for the 1992 Summer Olympics, Caballé, a native of the city, was asked to help produce a song for the games. Thomas Asanger made a wonderful arrangement of the song for concert band in which the vocal parts are optional. Our recording does not include the vocals.