Search - Sylvia Mcnair, Handel, Mozart :: Exsultate, Jubilate

Emil B. from LISLE, IL
Reviewed on 4/8/2009...

The internationally well known & popular Sylvia McNair sings three signature pieces - Handel's Silete venti & Laudate pueri Dominum and Mozart's ever enjoyable & musical Exsultate jubilate. McNair has a stylistically light soprano voice, specializing in baroque & lighter Mozartian roles. She is accompanied in these recordings by the Monteverdi Choir (Handel) and English Baroque Soloists (Mozart), both of which are conducted by John Eliot Gardiner.

Exceptional control from both singer and orchestra

Ben England | Bristol, Avon England | 06/09/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The sumptious sound of Gardiner's English Baroque Soloists opens this disc with clarion precision. From the very beginning, they are the epitome of perfect baroque playing - never getting a microbeat behind Gardiner's fiendishly speedy baton, and are particularly delightful when tripping through Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate accompanying the sublime Ms McNair. Sylvia McNair, although comparatively rarely recorded, produces a wonderfully enthusiastic performance, using all of the vocal devices in her armoury (listen out for the whispered phrase in Silete Venti, the first cantata on the disc). While the Handel is lovely, however, the Mozart is truly spectacular, showing McNair's talent for semi-quaver articulation, particularly in the famous Alleluia which concludes the disc. Overall, an excellent contribution to the collection of any fan of authentic Mozart."