“Maravillosa la interpretación de la mezzosoprano María José Montiel como Catalina Homar, cuya expresividad es abierta y luminosa”.

“Maria José Montiel ya había cantado obras de Antoni Parera Fons, como cuando fue protagonista de la anterior ópera del compositor, María Moliner. En las dos breves apariciones como la joven amante Catalina Homar la mezzo madrileña dejó claro su excelente momento vocal con una emisión clara y una luminosa aproximación al canto; desde su primera aparición en el patio de butacas, con un sombrero de paja y su llamativa presencia escénica, fue protagonista de uno de los momentos mágicos de L’Arxiduc”.

María José Montiel lució en todo lo que cantó con su inigualable y jovial presencia escénica. Comenzó con la contrastada -alegre, agria- y compleja, racial en suma, en texto y rítmica «Yo he nacido muy chiquita» de El dúo de «La africana», arropada magníficamente por el Coro de RTVE. Su otro gran momento fue el «Chotis del Eliseo madrileño», de La Gran Vía, mostrando desparpajo al son del chulesco chotis, al estilo de Madrid y con una primera octava primorosa, gran línea de canto y una belleza vocal personalísima. Por el contrario, no sabemos la causa, se eliminó del programa la pieza de «¡Qué te importa que no venga!», que nos hubiera encantado escuchar.

Destacó por encima del resto la actuación de María José Montiel, de voz plena y centro rico en matices ya desde su primera intervención en “Yo he nacido muy chiquita”. Una de las muchas virtudes de la mezzosoprano madrileña es su flexibilidad a la hora de abordar dramática y vocalmente muy distintos registros, desde María Moliner hasta Mari Pepa. También dio toda una lección de colocación de la voz y musicalidad en el dúo de La revoltosa.

“La gran triunfadora de la noche fue una excelsa María José Montiel. La mezzo madrileña se manejó con brillantez a lo largo de una partitura exigente por multiplicidad de registros: desde unos pianos bien timbrados y concisos de afinación, hasta unos fortes con mayor presencia".

“María José Montiel fue la gran sacerdotisa de la ópera. Se adentra en el papel de María Moliner con veracidad, verosimilitud y emoción poética. Antes comentamos que no hay un aria o romanza, pero sí tiene muchísimos registros declamatorios aborda todos los registros de una forma impresionante. Especialmente, en el sugerente final, en el que describe a una persona que se va olvidando de todo, mientras simbólicamente se van borrando las palabras del diccionario”. 

“Del reparto reunido aquí solo María José Montiel formó parte del que, en 2016, estrenó la obra en el Teatro de La Zarzuela. Su encarnación de María Moliner es absoluta; la mezzo madrileña la ha interiorizado y se adueña de ella por completo”.

“La madrileña María José Montiel es la protagonista omnipresente de la obra en un papel hecho a su medida. Su voz natural de mezzo y sus dotes interpretativas son imprescindibles para este rol que combina realidad y ficción, el cual asume sin perder credibilidad en ningún momento, viviendo cada escena. Esta compositora de palabras focaliza la narración desde un lenguaje expresionista muy difícil que la mezzo resuelve con la misma fuerza que su homónima Moliner a lo largo de las diez escenas en las que hay que reflejar hasta el envejecimiento que conlleva el paso del tiempo. Montiel es Doña María, destino escrito, tiempo implacable, exilio interior y silencio sonoro que nos encoge con su papel, impensable sin ella”.

María José Montiel abordó con su habitual competencia y profesionalidad, atinando a expresar el dolor y el horror de la muerte de un hijo. En su caso hubo una mayor conciencia de ser una narradora más que una comentadora y resultó mucho más conmovedora. 

"La mezzosoprano María José Montiel impactó con su modélico «O mio Fernando» de La Favorita de Donizetti, con un centro muy cómodo, carnoso, gran expresividad, facilidad para dinámicas y amplia línea vocal [...] interpretó además un espectacular «Mon coeur s’ouvre à ta voix» de Samson et Dalila de Sain-Saëns".

"Maria José Montiel tuvo especial relevancia en su actuación. Abordó sus intervenciones con gran precisión, haciendo gala de unos poderosos graves que aportaron riqueza y expresividad. Nos enamoró con su excelente “Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix” de Samson et Dalila de Saint-Saëns que hizo emerger su alma de mezzosoprano".

"María José Montiel expresó desde su alma de mezzosoprano los versos extraídos del Zaratustra de Nietzsche y de las Canciones del muchacho de la trompa mágica (Knaben Wunderhorn), y aportó con su canto profundo los momentos de mayor riqueza y enjundia expresiva de la noche. Inolvidable su intenso “Oh Mensch!” del principio del cuarto movimiento, que supuso el primer clímax mahleriano de la fría noche".

"...fabulosa la mezzosoprano madrileña María José Montiel, que abordó su parte sin problemas gracias a unos poderosos graves emitidos con una proyección estratosférica con la regulación precisa en cada momento. Emocionante el comienzo de su intervención con las palabras “Oh Hombre, atento” [...] fueron estos y los siguientes compases de este movimiento la parte más feliz de la velada con un excelente acompañamiento por parte de Tebar a una voz perfectamente integrada en la masa orquestal".

“In the musical area, the production had a big name: María José Montiel! It is difficult to find such a perfect singer for this role at the current time. It was created by Saint-Saëns with Pauline Viardot’s voice in mind, and it seems that Montiel was born to do the role. She had elegant poise on stage from her first appearance, with no unnecessary gestures, and her presence dominated that enormous stage. Montiel not only bewitched Samson, but also the whole auditorium. Her way of phrasing ‘Printemps qui commence’ with delicate and caressing legato, with magnificent play with dynamics and some whispered mid-range voice that was perfectly sustained, gave a taste what she would go on to display in the second act, with moments of strong dramatism culminating in the famous ‘Mon coeur s’ouvre à ta voix’, in which the beauty of her tone and the long fiati created moments of true vocal orgy, due to the ample registers that Montiel knows how to use to perfection, without jumps in colour or throatiness in the lower register”.

“In the performance, María José Montiel’s beautifully-toned mezzo-soprano voice was commanding in the role of a seductive and calculating Dalila, who, like Mata-Hari, enchanted the audience in the most famous passages in the opera, sounding magical in the moments of ‘Printemps qui commence’ and ‘Mon coeur s’ouvre à ta voix’ in the first part. María José has had perfect control over these well-known arias since her opera debut in Mexico with this opera –five years ago– also using its arias as repertoire in the programmes of many concerts”.

“...medido y atmosférico lecho orquestal para la entrada de María José Montiel, pausada, cariacontecida, enlutada, en el hermoso canto fúnebre de El campo de la muerte. El timbre cremoso, cálido, la emisión en el fulcro, los graves naturales, la respiración bien medida en la traducción de los doloridos acentos (“Todos ellos derramaron su roja sangre sobre la gloriosa tierra rusa”) nos llegaron bien y retrataron con mucha verdad la escena”.

“[Méndez] tuvo la suerte de contar con María José Montiel, de voz cada día más hermosa y poseedora de unos pianos que llegan a cualquier sitio. Su interpretación tuvo todo el calor y la humanidad que esos emotivos cinco minutos requieren”.

“Talento como el de María José Montiel, que fue lo más destacado de la producción con una Cieca que no tiene nada que envidiar a la que Ewa Podles cantó hace tres lustros, cuando se estrenó esta misma producción. Fue una lectura íntima, con unos pianissimi conmovedores. Una lección de buen gusto y de dominio técnico y dramático del papel”

"La qüestió és que la gran triomfadora d’aquesta Gioconda és la mezzosoprano María José Montiel, que inter preta la mare (La Cieca) aprofitant els pocs moments de què disposa per exhibir un fraseig i uns pianissimo sublims"

"una María José Montiel absolutamente entregada, una cantante que conoce la obra en sus más mínimos detalles y que expuso su hermoso timbre realizando proezas con su expresivo sentido del fraseo"

"María José Montiel, con medios generosos, buena dicción, proyección, flexibilidad y un buen fiato"

“The mezzo from Madrid translated her complex spider web of emotions into a tormented and passionate declaration of love, allowing her voice full rein, with great naturalness in the higher registers.” 

“The main course of the concert was the piece by Chausson, which Axelrod imprinted with his Wagnerian patina which suits it so well and to which María José Montiel adapted herself admirably, with ideal density, power, colour and expressivity for the music in which she shone, especially in the darkest and most dramatic parts.”

“The roundness of the concert was achieved with the participation of María José Montiel; undoubtedly a winning selection: and the Spanish mezzo-soprano, each time she sang, found the perfect tone for the music. This does not only apply to her great vocal technique, her affinity to the repertoire and clear diction, but also to her presence and communication with the audience, which allowed her to fill the stage beyond its capacity. If the emotion of her participation in the fourth movement had already won over the audience with her outstanding performance, it was in the fifth when the singer displayed her exquisite shading in the extreme dynamics of Es sungen drei Engel”.

“And María José Montiel, who fully immerses herself in the character and shows an endearing María Moliner to us up close, is able to do this not only because of her exquisite vocal work but also because of her dramatic and corporal sensitivity. There is a culmination in the final scenes, where all her lexiconic and existential baggage is stripped off to show human powerlessness in all its poetic rawness. An emotional and moving ending”.

“And María Moliner was portrayed by María José Montiel, who makes the main character´s metamorphosis believable. She has barely a moment off stage, which of course represents a huge effort both vocally and dramatically. The mezzo-soprano gives her all in a role which she certainly treasures on her shelf of favourites, not only because of its difficulty and the great range of registers that it requires but also because, if this opera continues to tour theatres, Montiel´s performance will be the reference”. 

“One cannot praise María José Montiel´s performance as María Moliner enough. It also progresses, but in this case from more to much, much more, both vocally (without there being arias as such, as the singing is always declaimed, with dense and extensive text. She participates in nine of the ten scenes, with the effort that this constant presence requires) and in the acting of the character, with whom she fully identifies in all the stages of life which the opera relates. Bravo, without any reservations”.

“The work of the Spanish mezzo-soprano María José Montiel, who also took the role of Moliner in last year´s performances, was brilliant. Montiel shows such an intense degree of identification with the character that her presence grows, an asset giving the necessary credibility to this project, which is in certain ways very transgressive”.

“The Cordoba theatre had the immense privilege of hearing one of the best Carmens in the world.  We are talking about María José Montiel, whose voice appears to have been made for this role.  The warm and seductive tone of her voice is blessed with incredible velvetiness and marshalled with enormous technical knowledge when it came to giving us a homogeneous display of colours in all registers, without cuts or abrupt attacks, allowing her to be a vocally unbeatable incarnation of the hapless gipsy.”

“It was in the fourth movement of the symphony that María José Montiel showed us the beautiful and androgenous colour of her mezzo voice, with no lack in delicacy and raw musicality.”  

“And when the voice belongs to someone as great as María José Montiel, the theatre becomes a mysterious, magical, other worldly place, where only beauty and fullness reign.  The unparalleled Spanish mezzo, accompanied supremely on the piano by Rubén Fernández Aguirre, took us to the Heaven of song in a marvellous recital, in which Spanish songs, Portuguese and Brazilian modinhas, French melodies and popular sounds were elevated to exquisiteness.  Opera arias and zarzuela romances resounded with the greatest glory imaginable.” 

First and foremost, of course, Carmen needs a formidable singer in the title role, and FGO has one in María José Montiel. The Spanish mezzo-soprano effortlessly produced rich, sensual tones in the famous Habanera and Seguidilla, lowering her voice in the final renditions of the Habanera melody, in a manner that made the aria less showy and more insinuatingly intimate. In her stage manner, she communicated Carmen’s sexual mastery subtly, in the easy confidence of her walk and gestures, without the over-the-top posing and exaggeration often  portrayed.

"María José Montiel has true class and gave an excellent concert. The singer had ample resources to deal with an undoubtedly challenging programme and, especially, exquisite sensitivity in her singing, thick with pianissimos and filati, swathed by the chamber ensemble which accommodated the particular romanticism of her expression".

"María José Montiel has a homogeneous tessitura in the three octaves that the role spans; subtlety in nuances, variety of colour, from dry, metallic recitative to tenderness, the art of binding the phrasing with ample fiato in the service of beauty and naturalness in singing"

Montiel, the righteous winner of the 2015 National Music Prize, displayed the plethora of facets that make up her art.  I do not know which of these is most outstanding: her attractive tone which is both dark and bright at the same time; the roundness of the notes in all registers of her wide tessitura and the way her voice reached every corner of the space with the right intensity; her musical and dramatic versatility which allows her to be just as convincing as the innocent Mignon, the eager Charlotte, the seductive Dalila or all in one like Scherezade and also daring like Carmen.

Maria José Montiel is currently in exceptional voice. Her mezzo voice combines the dark, almost contralto tone with an unusual sweetness and flexibility. Also, her mastery of fiato means that she can play comfortably with the dynamics and project her voice with a range of colours. For example, the softness of the etherial colour of the pianissimos was outstanding.

As well as being an exceptional singer with a beautiful, soft and dense voice, Maria Josè Montiel is also an outstanding exemplar of technique. She has excellent technique in voice placement and breathing, intense projection, always full of nuances. 

María José Montiel is at an excellent vocal and artistic moment, which she showed in this unforgettable concert.  Her mezzo voice combines a dark, almost contralto tone with extraordinary sweetness and flexibility.  Her mastery of fiato allows her to play with dynamics with ease and colour her notes.  In this way, the softness and ethereal colour of the pianissimi was breathtaking..

"María José Montiel portrayed Federica with genuine temperament as well as flawless vocal ease". 

"The mezzo-soprano from Madrid María José Montiel, who has just triumphed as María Moliner, really got the best out of Federica, a small role but really outstanding because of the singer".

"María José Montiel is a real treat as Federica".

"Federica is an ideal role for María José Montiel who sang very well, especially in the constancy of the quality of her low register". 

"The mezzo María José Montiel was a real treat for the thankless role of Federica. The singer showed off her outstanding dense and full projection.  She also made an impact with her sound and intention with the phrase “Io non cangiai” which precedes the duet “Dall’aule raggianti” in which she practically overshadowed Costanzo to the point of almost making him disappear at the end of the scene.  She also used her voice and phrasing expertly in her scene in the second act which ends with the unusual a cappella quartet “Come celar le smanie”."

"María José Montiel portrayed her role with compact density, showing the breadth of scope of her voice, which is currently in magnificent form."

"María José Montiel is the consummate leading lady, she is fully engaged both vocally and dramatically and has a truly beautiful, full voice, flawless in all registers..." 

"A top-notch cast, in which the great mezzo María José Montiel filled herself with that heroism which is so feminine: great generosity despite her ostracism.  Montiel has a velvety voice and lots of personality.  If anyone can claim to be a success, it is her..."

"It is the priceless María José Montiel who is responsible, in great measure, for the opera´s success.  Her voice was excellent, as usual, with great intensity in the first scene, which she knows how to maintain at all times.  But she also shines as an actress: her María Moliner captivates, with her dignity, dedication and sad end, and with the mezzo-soprano´s moving performance, which, ironically, it is difficult to describe with words. "

"Evidently, the musical centre is the impressive performance of mezzo-soprano María José Montiel.  She is on stage at all times, she sings with enormous perfection and commitment, and she glories in the role which, although it has been written especially for her, is tremendously demanding.  However, she pulls it off like the great diva that she is."

"María Moliner rests and lives in María José Montiel.  The whole opera, music and text rests on her shoulders.  She does it in such a way that it is difficult to imagine it sung by another voice.  Parera Fons seems to intuit this from the beginning and grants her, as well as an almost continuous presence on stage (she only goes off on a couple of occasions), two great solo moments which coincide with the beginning and the end of the music and which summarise the entire personal evolution of the lexicographer.  The way her singing unfolds, energetically, full of the initial excitement, reflecting a very particular mentality, tenacious and perservering, until the decline, choking with emotion, syllabic, and the effort to remember every word, suffering from Alzheimer´s, this is a Montiel who lives and breathes Moliner.  She does.  We do.  It is lucky that there was such a committed artist taking the lead role in this premiere.  In her last moments and with her final look at the audience, recalling her mother, her dictionary, and she herself, the mezzo once again sent shivers down our spine."

 "...those moments, armed only with your voice and your gesture, are where the root, the foundation of the artist can be seen, the depth of their art.  Montiel has a great voice, beautiful, fully mezzo, which moves with ease within the tesitura of her range.  She does not lack an attractive tone, warm and golden, a vertiginous fiato which gave some glorious moments during the concert, and, above all, mastery of filati, with notes which were held almost like a whisper for interminable seconds, exciting the audience."

“The conductor accompanied the soloists with a firm hand, achieving great complicity with the orchestra and the leading lady: María José Montiel, who gave it her all on stage, with unique and minutely shaded phrasing dedicated to a role which she knows through and through and which she knows how to respect and when to unfold”

"At the San Carlo, María José is Carmen!  Forget Milan, forget La Scala, this year opera can be found in Naples at the Teatro San Carlo.  Get this name well into your heads: María José Montiel.  She is Carmen, she is Parthenope.  You are in Naples, but in reality you have been transported to Seville.  Now imagine her coming out, in her heels, crushing the grains of sand at the gate of the bull pen leading to the square.  It is there, and from that exact place where the acoustics are perfect, where she brings the most beautiful and seductive Habanera that you have ever heard to life.  Close your eyes.  Let her voice get under your skin.  Try, if you can, to make contact with Carmen´s soul.  Now full of sunshine, now dark.  Sombre too.  Try, if you can, to be men.  In front of you is a woman.  The woman.  Ready for anything.  Free and authentic.  Dare, if you can, to challenge her.  Offer up your chest to her wildness and temperament."

"Montiel´s Carmen is freedom made into opera... she unfurled a palette of colours which allowed her to delineante a sensual Carmen, full of detail, of pure, melodious filigree, with unforgettable moments such as the return to 'amour est enfant de Bohéme' after the Seguidilla, with a last 'prends garde à toi' which has remained in the aural memory of Naples"

"María José Montiel shone in the title role and what was seen on stage that day was truly impressive.  Montiel´s voice took us to that unknown place which is Carmen´s delirious world of desire and eroticism.  Her masterful sul fiato singing and her technique, which she uses to wonderful effect, lay the foundations of the singer´s totally committed and authentic art.  Her rounded tone remains homogeneous throughout her entire range (her control over the singing of the A Sharp in the Seguidilla and the high C at the end of Act II are extraordinary), with a low register which leads us into the most beautiful depths of her sound."

"The night undoubtedly belonged to Montiel, who was a seductive, vengeful Dalila.  Her vibrant voice, with polished tones in the lower register, well positioned high notes and extraordinarily beautiful phrasing, shone in every one of her arias, especially in the famous "Mon Coeur"

“Something which undoubtedly stood out and excited the ears of the audience was the Spanish mezzo-soprano María José Montiel’s performance.”

“It was in the first act, when María José Montiel and the Monterrey Corps de Ballet appeared, that the audience gave its first big ovation, at the end of the episode.”

“The Spanish mezzo-soprano María José Montiel was the female lead (Dalila), and she equally balanced both villainy and irresistible desirability within the role. She is very physically attractive, with a voice which has some extraordinary characteristics such as the velvety beauty of the low notes, allowing a performance loaded with passion, which became evident in the second act when she performed the famous aria Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix, in which she seduces our hero with great vocal expressivity and sensuality which she combines with naturalness"

“In the opening night of Empfänger unbekannt (Antoni Parera)… with a musicality which tended to each aspect of the sound and every possible detail of the metrics and the narrative in this dramatisation of four marvellous pieces of writing by Ruth Schweikert… they allowed a sublime Montiel to give us one of her most vivacious offerings of the night…  tears sprung to the eyes in À Chloris (Reynaldo Hahn), the mezzo-soprano’s singing was emotionally charged, making the entire hall tremble with feeling.  The trilogy of songs by Villa-Lobos (Melodia sentimental), Ovalle (Azulao) and Halffter (Ai que linda moça) cannot but take us back in time… Montiel is moving. Montiel is vital, and she makes us experience continuous emotion”

"When María José Montiel began Nietzsche´s invocation “O Mensch/Oh Homem” in the 4th movement, something happened: Where had that voice that was so deep come from?  Suddenly we had passed through to higher spheres, and we did not come back down again…the whole thing was a challenge, an incredible tour de force, absolutely memorable, intensely emotional, with special and huge applause at the end.  With two women: the unforgettable Montiel, conducted by Joana Carneiro"

“It was in the second part when the audience enjoyed the best of the evening; in particular there were two highlights; the first was the interpretation of Reynaldo Hahn’s “A Chloris”, sung with a big variety of inflections and extraordinary filati. The second was, of course, the aria from Samson et Dalila, to which no one could remain indifferent”.

"Montiel has a valuable instrument, for its colour and pliancy, its measured centre, low notes which seduce you with their intensity and infallible high notes.  She radiates class as a singer and stage actress, which is the reason she has appeared at the greatest opera houses in the world".

“Bravo María José Montiel! The best Carmen of the current time, with a vocal perfection and warmth worthy of admiration. She is a real asset for the theatre and for our opera scene”
 

“Carmen was María José Montiel warm of tone, rounded in delivery; with full-blooded and beautiful notes […] she built up the character securely with sinuous phrasing and a judicious use of dynamics”.
 

“The great luck we had is that this Carmen is sung by one of the best of her defenders and performers in the history of the role, with her sensitivity and her voice: María José Montiel. As always, she did not only bring the character to life but also submerged herself in Bizet and Merimée´s motives, and this can be seen, and it is appreciated. […]Montiel does and undoes Carmen with pleasure; this is why it is her pet role”
 

"...the role of Carmen was taken by she who is, undoubtedly, the best Spanish mezzo-soprano, María José Montiel [...] a beautiful voice, velvety, of an extraordinary brilliance.  Her low notes and her high notes coexist in perfect harmony and her vocal line, pure, perfect, with elegant and exalted phrasing and breath control bestow on her the status of great singer [...] her acting skills are huge, hypnotic..."

“The 4th July will be a day to remember for María José Montiel: her apotheosis in her home city (Madrid) in a symphonic-choral concert as demanding as it was impressive.  Her extremely beautiful timbre, delicate colour, fine legato, temperament and power were clear for all to hear."

In Lied Urlicht María José Montiel has just the right firmness, both in the dark and the middle ranges, to tell us restlessly that life is pain and suffering, but most importantly, she has a facility in reaching high notes which proclaims a celestial world.

María José Montiel (Maddalena): blessed with a rich, ample and meaty voice, with a centre generous in decibels. She attacks low notes without relying on resonance from the chest, always covered and masked, with no great loss of sound and without being swallowed up by the orchestra.

At the peak of her form, it is a pleasure to hear her voice which is accompanied by good diction, musicality and a contagious delivery.

This approach fits Montiel like a glove, as she is a singer with a strong connection to her roots, so her emotional romance Sierras de Granada was sung with strength and verve.

María José Montiel showed that she is a singer with a well-pitched voice, rich in harmonics, meaty and warm; wide and extensive, with substantial volume and well-regulated. Her wide and sonorous centre, with low notes supported naturally made a perfect foil to some high notes which came across more firmly.

María José Montiel (Maddalena) seduced us with her low, deep and captivating voice.

María José Montiel’s Maddalena was a real treat.

Blessed with an enviable tone and legato, María José Montiel brought the role of La Cieca to the top level, with an impeccable line.

... homogeneity in Maria José Montiel’s La Cieca, in impeccable voice in all her registers.

Extremely beautiful was the voice of María José Montiel in her aria Voce di donna o d'angelo.

The only really moving and perfectly delineated female character was Maria José Montiel’s La Cieca, with a beautiful and deep voice.

Maria José Montiel’s La Cieca was outstanding and gave us the best moments of the evening, with a broad and finely projected voice, never excessive or histrionic, but full of emotion.

The mezzo-soprano María José Montiel´s emotional Cieca was quite an event.

The Spanish mezzo María José Montiel has a voice with a warm tone and moving phrasing which suits the character of la Cieca perfectly.

Beyond a night of magical moments, it was truly a magical night where the magenta velvet overtones of María José Montiel's sweet and powerful voice enveloped all with its warmth, each note exquisite in sound and performed exquisitely as a Strad cello in the hands of the most gifted of artists. The dance between singer and pianist, Miquel Estelrich Serralta, created a world of finely threaded notes brought to life with mute conversations, pianissimi, crescendi, and textured fortissimi birthed with absolute smoothness and seemingly endless breath.

In her Atlanta Opera debut, María José Montiel is everything a “Carmen” should be. Flirtatious. Coquettish. Sexy. Fierce. The brilliant mezzo-soprano from Spain beguiles and seduces in the company’s season-opening production at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.

Spanish mezzo-soprano María José Montiel gave a larger-than-life performance as Carmen: every gesture was exaggerated for the sake of drama. Montiel’s entrance aria, the “Habanera”, was rich with dynamic contrast and rubato. The contralto-esque timbre of her instrument in the middle and low voice is simply stunning. Montiel’s singing in the last act was earthy and muscular — unforgettable.

The mezzo-soprano María José Montiel played the title role with good taste and flair. Blessed with a beautiful voice, warm and resonant, she showed us a feminine side to Carmen, who flirted with the villagers in the square at the end of her cigarette-selling day, whilst then becoming a cold and calculating leader of a gang of smugglers. Accustomed to being obeyed, she does not hesitate to mistreat the men who desire her, but she treats the people close to her with delicacy. She portrayed the “Habanera” with spontaneity and verve, but the seguidilla and the seductive dance for Don José really stood out, making expert use of the castanets while she moved. An authentic Spanish lady, faithfully portraying another Spanish lady.

The other top performer in the Medea cast was Spanish mezzo María José Montiel as Neris, Medea’s servant, who is graced with the most beautiful aria in the score. Montiel has become an intense, top-quality singer in recent years.

María José Montiel garnered logical cheers after Neris´ aria, since she sang it in an exemplary fashion. Her voice is lovely, full of harmonics and bubbling forth in a way which illuminated the Palau, she has impeccable taste and musicality. It seems to be an easy aria, but it is not, and she achieved what Cherubini wanted: time stopped.

María José Montiel was in the role of the maid Neris, and her sensational aria Solo un pianto, with its fascinating bassoon solo, was a model of vocal beauty, control of the breath and incredibly beautiful high notes.

María José Montiel stood out with the most sublime singing. Her wide register, great technique and exquisite taste confirm her as already being a world class singer. Her memorable solo Solo un pianto gained a heartfelt ovation.

She completed the female trio as Neris. Her Solo un pianto could well become a classic, she showed an extraordinary communion between voice and sensitivity.

Alongside the soprano shone another star of great magnitude: the mezzo from Madrid María José Montiel, who gave a rounded performance of Neris, the human counterpoint, no less dramatic but articulated with compassion and tenderness. The way she alternated between open singing at a high volume and whispered diction sotto voce, contained, incicive and intimate, completed yet another perfect recital and she garnered ovations comparable to those given to the lead.

Pride is María José Montiel´s Neris. The mezzo from Madrid performs her role of witness to Medea´s murderous and vengeful fury with pertinent acting skill, and her solo aria was justly applauded.

The fantastic María José Montiel´s Carmen, with her voluptuous, polished timbre, triumphed due to her subtle sensuality, displayed in the lightness with which she sang the Habanera.

Garnering huge applause in the First Night, the Spanish mezzo María José Montiel is currently one of the most acclaimed singers of Carmen.

María José Montiel got a standing ovation from the audience with the aria "Oh, mio Fernando", from La favorita,... she is a simply marvellous singer.

Maria José Montiel's touching Madelon was nicely understated.

Maria Jose Montiel is outstanding in the quartet of soloists, the mezzo-soprano from Madrid has sung in all major Italian theaters receiving standing ovations, particularly for her performance of Carmen.

Maria Jose Montiel, who has recently been proclaimed the best female singer of last season by Spanish critics, showed off the warmth of a very beautiful centre and intelligently resolved the difficulties posed by a part written more for contralto than mezzo.

Montiel´s voice is in its prime, with a warm centre and powerful high notes, mezza voce, piano and filato were used with great musicality, generous and temperamental without ever going over the top and with such power to communicate that sparks were flying in the auditorium. We want to see and hear her more!

María José Montiel has a mezzo voice with character and sparkle, and she performed “El arpa sagrada” with deep emotion and “El violín de San Francesc” with popular musicality.

With great sensitivity and a full and enveloping sound María José Montiel sang with her powerful voice and great drama.

The mezzosoprano María José Montiel´s performance fulfilled the expectations of the most demanding members of the audience. Her mezzo voice with dark tints and a wide register, with incredible intonation and natural singing, made her character totally believable. Moreover, she has a very important quality: that of maintaining the strength, intensity and calibre throught her portrayal of the character which is pivotal to the whole opera.

María José Montiel (Carmen) defended this familiar role very well, giving it strength and expressiveness thanks to her temperament and the richness of her tone, impregnating it with her natural charm on stage.

An impressive stage appearance and a thorough belief in the destiny of this woman on the part of the singer. Splendid throughout, her hard work yielded great results.

María José Montiel was in great voice, full and extremely beautiful, well managed.

Warm tone, full, strikingly smooth.