REVIEW: Angela Hench/Gregory Marke — Barcelona (SINGLE)
You may be like me and think you aren’t likely ever going to hear an opera performance that you like. Listening to Angela Hench’s re-interpretation of Montserrat Caballé and Freddie Mercury’s 1987 mix of rock and opera vocals “Barcelona” is like encountering a masterpiece from a different angle. The overall work is familiar but we’re seeing it from a different perspective, two in this case, and as a result, new textures and colors emerge. Hench and her duet partner Gregory Markel find their own layers of theatricality in the work that they then build on with dramatic flair.
Hench, in particular, balances dramatic flair and vocal technique with supreme control. I’ve often heard opera singers as the equivalent of a sonic bulldozer, bowling audiences over with all power and zero subtlety, but the truth is different, Hench has outstanding emotional versatility in her voice despite its impossibly high range and the control she exerts over the performance makes the listening experience all the more invigorating.
Markel is the former lead singer for the progressive rock act Altered States and brings rugged and soulful vocal muscle along with another layer of sensitivity to the performance. Mercury’s contributions to the original help give that performance the completeness that audiences have so richly enjoyed over the years, and it has the same effect in this new version of “Barcelona”.
Both of the singers are working in the shadows of giants. They do not let that stop them, however, from creative exploration. Hench and Markel never struggle to find the right vocal balance in their exchanges and likely experienced instant artistic chemistry when they first sang together; the recording, produced by Dick Williams, reflects that in spades.
The song’s video reflects the same chemistry. The two singers seem to enjoy sharing screen time with one another rather than forcing it on the camera and the professional qualities of the clip are likewise impossible to ignore. It isn’t intended to vie or overshadow the song itself, which remains dominant from beginning to end, but it definitely works as an excellent visual companion offering that viewers can revisit more than once.
I’m happy to say I have heard this. I’ve listened to it more than once. As an older Queen fan, I never paid much mind to what I saw as a Mercury driven labor of love near the end of his life rather than music that I related to. It was a preconceived notion. Now, in 2022, I am getting a second chance with this song and Angela Hench is the biggest reason why I won’t soon forget this moment. Her singing partner Gregory Markel meets the measure of the moment as well.
I won’t hear opera in the same limited way again after this. Hench makes it come alive with personality and passion that’s contagious throughout this classic, refurbished for modern listeners. She’s performed a service for devoted music fans that should not be forgotten, and her co-vocalist Gregory Markel helps make it happen.
Colin Jordan
