Customer Reviews

Exultate, Jubilate

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This is probably the most incredible classical CD known to man - it posseses the Lobsgesang (Song of Praise) by Mendelssohn on it, it's sung by Barbara Bonney and Edith Wiens at the Leipzig Gewandhaus - Europe's most unknown, but ultimately finest house of classical music. I honestly felt that I had died and that angels were singing in the middle of my living room when I first heard that hauntingly beautiful duet with full chorus. The CD has other wonders like the Bach aria "Wie freudig ist mein Herz," Mozart's Exsultate, a few rarer Mozart sacred arias, and her Pie Jesu (Faure). What's absolutely incredible to think is that these pieces were mostly recorded in Germany in small churches and performance hall - no one who likes Germany and classical music could be disappointed. It's also a great buy for lovers of die deutsche Romantik. I can't believe it's for sale, because it's discontinued with many record stores, and it could easily go for 3 times the price - it's a rare import.

A beautiful voice: pure, very agile, never straining. A voice ideally suited to this type of music. Something to listen to with your eyes closed, letting it wash over you. Barbara Bonney is one of the best voices today.

Barbara Bonney and Harnoncourt collaborated largely in this collection of sacred songs sung and recorded over a span of 6 years from 1989 to 1995.
Bonney owns a very affecting and lyrical voice, reminiscent of the late queen of sopranos Lucia Popp at certain places. The voice is ideally suited to the pieces collected in this album.
A great shame that not the entire piece of Bach's BWV 199 cantata was being recorded - I have heard the earlier collaboration by Schwarzkopff and Dart with the Philharmonia Orchestra recorded some several decades ago, and the entire work is miraculously beautiful. There are recitatives and the third part has a longer opening recitative between the viola and soprano voice that is simply stunning.
Otherwise, the other works in this collection are all wonderful. Bonney in 1990 - 1995 is recognisably in her absolute vocal prime.

I love Barbara Bonney's voice. She is one of the few sopranos that I actually enjoy hearing.

Beside Barbara Bonney there is Finnish soprano Soile Isokoski who has really natural, beautiful voice. How can so fully trained voice be so natural! Some singers do have some kind of cold and hard voice, but Barbara Bonney surely is not one of those.

Having no musical talent I can but simply enjoy and I need not bother about keeping right notes, etc. That seems to be a blessing.