Barnes & Noble

Concertgoers may recall witnessing this program of J. S. Bach's cantatas 82 and 199 in an adventurously staged series of performances, directed by Peter Sellars. The soloist, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, was called upon to don hospital garb and medical tubing in one work and, in the other, a brightly colored robe and sash that heightened an already emotionally charged dramatization. No such theatrics can be conveyed on CD, of course, yet this beautifully realized recording, made following the concert tour, does splendidly on its own, no props needed. One reason for its success is the performers' long-standing collaboration. Hunt Lieberson signed on to conductor Craig Smith's ambitious Bach cantata cycle at Boston's Emmanuel Church more than two decades ago, first as a violist and only later as a mezzo-soprano -- her true calling, it would turn out -- and their performances display a level of polish and insight gained from long association. The other reason is that all involved are highly skilled. Among the members of the well-honed Orchestra of Emmanuel Music, special mention must be made of the marvelous oboist Peggy Pearson, who is given opportunities to shine as soloist in both cantatas. And Lieberson, an enormously gifted but so far little-recorded singer, carries off this deeply felt music with a light yet smoke-toned voice, finding exquisitely subtle gradations in volume and color. The famous aria "Schlummert ein," in which the drowsy main theme returns doggedly after several sleepy pauses, has rarely been sung so touchingly. You'll never want it to end. EJ Johnson

New York Times

One the finest Bach recordings to have come along in some time.... The recording captures the miraculous blend of soft-spoken sadness and blissful longing that Ms. Hunt Lieberson conveyed so movingly onstage.... Singing does not come more consolingly beautiful than Ms. Hunt Lieberson's plaintive, dusky-toned contributions on this important recording. Anthony Tommasini

BBC Music Magazine

[Lieberson's] natural, unaffected expressive vocabulary...serves Bach's music uncommonly well. Nicholas Anderson

Time Out New York

In two of Bach's most profound and memorable cantatas, Hunt Lieberson fully upholds her growing international reputation as a strikingly individual singer.... In total, it's hard to imagine a better introduction to Bach's cantatas -- or to Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. David Shengold

Los Angeles Times

Some of the most intense and moving Bach singing to be found on record.... Nothing can prepare you for this riveting singer -- an amazing, hypnotic artist at the peak of her powers.

Philadelphia Inquirer

This is an extraordinary recording.... The ever-probing Lieberson focuses attention on coloring the words in ways rarely heard in Bach cantatas. David Patrick Stearns

San Francisco Chronicle

Startlingly deep and affecting.... One hears not only the surface grandeur but also the confluence of theology and emotion that underlies the music.... The results are dazzling.

Chicago Tribune

Lieberson is a consummate artist and interpreter of this repertory.... Her great intelligence and musicality, combined with the liquid warmth of her rich, elegant voice, infuse the arias with deep feeling.

The New Yorker

Lorraine Hunt Lieberson's new recording of the cantata is beautiful enough to stop a war.