On 17 November 2018, Barcelona Cathedral hosted a solemn tribute to Montserrat Caballé, one of the greatest sopranos in the history of opera, who had passed away the previous month at the age of eighty-five. Organised by the singer’s family in collaboration with the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Archdiocese of Barcelona and RTVE, the ceremony brought together public authorities, leading cultural figures and hundreds of admirers.
The ceremony centred on Giuseppe Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, one of the works most closely associated with Montserrat Caballé throughout her career. Josep Pons conducted the Gran Teatre del Liceu Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, joined by the Polifònica de Puig-reig, with an outstanding quartet of soloists: Ainhoa Arteta, Anna Larsson, Nikolai Schukoff and Aleksander Vinogradov. The service was broadcast live on Spanish television and simultaneously screened at the Liceu, allowing hundreds more people to take part in the farewell.
A defining figure in the history of the Gran Teatre del Liceu and one of the greatest international ambassadors of Catalan culture, Montserrat Caballé maintained an exceptional relationship with the theatre for more than five decades. This tribute became one of the most significant institutional and musical homages dedicated to the soprano, highlighting music’s unique power to preserve memory and bring people together.