José Mardones - La Calunnia - Il barbiere di Siviglia - Rossini

[saiserieht]

Can you point out for me that high G at the end? I don't seem to be able to find it ...

[MrCafiero]

@saiserieht Actually, you are right. I had copied part of another description I had written of him and missed taking that out. Thanks.

[Slayerplsko]

@MrCafiero and what was that aria you were originally referring to?

[MrCafiero]

@Slayerplsko I believe it was Il lacerato spirito.

[bassoprof]

To MrCafiero: Would It not be more proper to say ''Mardones probably was one of the greatest basses in history until his death in 1932?''  We do not have a chance to hear any music performed before the invention of recordıng.

[MrCafiero]

@bassoprof Did you actually read what I wrote in the description?

[BorisGodunov]

I have to marvel at people who listen to recordings from the early 20th century and make sweeping statements like those in summary above. "Probably the greatest bass voice in history?" That's really not possible to judge by such recordings, which rob the singer of so much compared to much later recordings. I don't hear anything here to make me think Mr. Mardones was "greater" than Siepi, or Neri, or Pasero, or Giaiotti...

And that's not even mentioning singers with no extant recordings!

[MrCafiero]

Well, maybe I can hear things and know what to listen for! Also, it is not just based on the recording, but also statements of great singers like Ponselle and others who heard him. And the fact that his range, agility etc. are unsurpassed by any bass.

[BorisGodunov]

There's no way to know "what to listen for" in these old recordings, really--you just can't get the real effect of their voice. Heck, you can't even get that in digital recordings now!

As for Ponselle, when did she become an infallible goddess? I'm not saying at all that Mardones wasn't great, but let's be realistic and note that it was just an opinion, and one by someone who was obviously a longtime friend and colleague who might not have been unbiased.

Ponselle never heard Lablache. ;)

[MrCafiero]

Of course there is a way of knowing what to listen for. But of course the recordings don't fully capture the sound either.

Ponselle is not the only one who made such remarks about Mardones. Also, there are quantitative qualities about his singing; the agility, range, power, ability to change dynamics - which all combined surpass other basses. That is not opinion. Whether or not someone likes his timbre is certainly opinion. Lastly, I did use the world "probably". This is not Nuremberg.

[joanna4659]

@MrCafiero By any? What do you think about Adam Didur - basso cantante? In my opinion he's the number one...but Mr. Mardones is also great, of course.

[MrCafiero]

@joanna4659 I think he was great, but I think they have voices that are not really comparable to each other.

[bodiloto]

Sublime !

[stevevandien]

Jerome Hines said Mardones was one of his inspirations---

[jfsanin]

Very good sound if have in consideration, the recording may be 100 years old. A great bass, one of the best of any time.

jfanin

[stevevandien]

Mardones was a great singer, as this record confirms. Remarkable full, even tone from top to bottom, with a firmly centered tonal core -- absolutely no fuzziness or mushiness in this voice --

[robertwbecker]

As close to a perfectly produced voice as you can get, based on a very high level of sustained speech and no B.S. in the sound! Excellent post, thank you!