In 1921, Ponselle made her debut in Ernani, singing the difficult role of Elvira. With her on stage were Giuseppe Martinelli, Giuseppe Danise and José Mardones. Great cast. Those were the impressions of Ponselle on her colleagues:
"Mardones's was the best bass voice I've ever heard. A real 'basso proffondo', and with a good technique, he could even sing some baritone parts. On the other hand, he was no actor".
"I loved to sing with Danise, our voices blended together so well..."
Martinelli was a great friend (gossip wanted that perhaps too good a friend) of Ponselle. Many years later, the american soprano was still very fond of the singer, the actor, and the person.
'Ernani, involami' was to Ponselle the best in the Verdi repertoire for her voice. Let's see if she were right in this recording from 1924:
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