Rosa Ponselle said of Mardones: ”He had the greatest bass voice I ever heard. Nobody could even come close to that sound. It was like the lowest pedal on the pipe organ of a great cathedral - a real basso profondo. He had everything vocally: a huge voice, excellent technique, and a top that could go way up into the baritone range. Now, he wasn’t any kind of actor, but he was good for those “robe parts” - the toga roles, things like that.”
