Barbara Bonney had a lovely, light lyric soprano voice. She sang all over the world and worked with very famous conductors and accompaniests. And then, in about 2008, she stopped singing publicly. Today, she is a teacher.
Her voice is well produced and well placed. One really nice thing about her is that her pitch is accurate. We don’t always get that in singers.
There is very little (really no) current information about her on the internet. I hope that you enjoy listening to her.
Soprano solo from Brahms’ A German Requiem, Op. 45
| John 16:22 | Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit; aber ich will euch wieder sehen und euer Herz soll sich freuen und eure Freude soll neimand von euch nehmen. | And ye now therefore have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. |
| Ecclesiasticus 51:27 | Sehet mich an: Ich habe eine kleine Zeit Mühe und Arbeit gehabt und habe großen Trost gefunden. | Ye see how for a little while I labor and toil, yet have I found much rest. |
| Isaiah 66:13 | Ich will euch trösten, wie einen seine Mutter tröstet. | As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you. |
Schumann, “Die Lotusblume”, Op. 25, No. 7
Die Lotosblume ängstigt
Sich vor der Sonne Pracht,
Und mit gesenktem Haupte
Erwartet sie träumend die Nacht.
Der Mond, der ist ihr Buhle
Er weckt sie mit seinem Licht,
Und ihm entschleiert sie freundlich
Ihr frommes Blumengesicht.
Sie blüht und glüht und leuchtet
Und starret stumm in die Höh’;
Sie duftet und weinet und zittert
Vor Liebe und Liebesweh.
Schumann, “The Lotus Flowers”, Op. 25, No.7
The lotus-flower is afdraid
Of the sun’s glory,
And with bowed head,
Awaits, dreaming, the night.
The moon is her love,
And wakes her with his light,
And to him she tenderly unveils
Her innocent flower-like face.
She blooms and glows and gleams,
And gazes silently aloft;
Fragrant and weeping and trembling
With love and the pain of love.
Grieg, “Solveig’s Sang”, Op. 55
Kanske vil der gå både Vinter og Vår,
og neste Sommer med, og det hele År,
men engang vil du komme, det ved jeg vist,
og jeg skal nok vente, for det lovte jeg sidst.
Gud styrke dig, hvor du i Verden går,
Gud glæde dig, hvis du for hans Fodskam mel står.
Her skal jeg vente til du kommer igjen;
og venter du hist oppe, vi træffes der, min Ven!
Grieg, “Solveig’s Song”, Op. 23
The winter may pass and the spring disappear,
the summer too will vanish and then the year.
But this I know for certain: thou’lt come back again;
And e’en as I promised, thou’lt find me waiting then.
God help thee, when wand’ring thy way all alone,
God grant thee his strength as thou kneel’st at his throne.
If thou now art waiting in heav’n for me,
O there we’ll meet again love and never parted be!
Fauré, Requiem, “Pie Jesu Domine”, Op. 48
Pie Jesu Domine,
dona eis requiem;
dona eis sempiternam requiem
Blessed Lord Jesus,
grant them rest;
grant them everlasting rest.
R. Strauss, “Wigenlied”, Op. 41, No.1
Träume, träume, du mein süßes Leben,
von dem Himmel, der die Blumen bringt.
Blüten schimmern da, die beben
von dem Lied, das deine Mutter singt.
Träume, träume, Knospe meiner Sorgen,
von dem Tage, da die Blume sproß;
von dem hellen Blütenmorgen,
da dein Seelchen sich der Welt erschloß.
Träume, träume, Blüte meiner Liebe,
von der stillen, von der heilgen Nacht,
da die Blume seiner Liebe
diese Welt zum Himmel mir gemacht.
R. Strauss, “Lullaby”, Op. 41, No. 1
Dream, dream, my sweet, my life,
of heaven that brings the flowers;
blossoms quiver there, they live
from the song your mother sings.
Dream, dream, bud from my worries,
of the day the flower unfolded;
of that clear bloom-morning,
when your dear soul opened to the world.
Dream, dream, blossom from my love,
of the silent, of the sacred night,
when the flower from his love
made this world my heaven.
Barbara Bonney
April 14, 1956 –
Barbara Bonney was widely recognised as a recital and concert artist and as one of the great Mozart singers of her generation. Her “Sophie” in Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier has become legendary. She has been praised for her radiant tone and the engaging warmth of her personality, as well as for her stylistic versatility in a broad repertoire that ranges from the Baroque to contemporary music.
Barbara Bonney used to be sought after by today’s leading orchestras and conductors, a measure of the high regard in which her exceptional vocal gifts and impeccable musicianship were held.
She appeared in documentaries and gave televised “Masterclasses for Amateurs” for the BBC as well as masterclasses for aspiring professionals worldwide. She is recipient of 5 honorary degrees including from her alma mater, the Mozarteum in Salzburg.
Unfortunately, there is little recent news of Bonney. On August 1, 2006, IMG Artists announced that all forthcoming appearances by her were cancelled and that they would no longer be representing her. At the time, the IMG Artists website only stated the reason as “due to personal circumstances”, but Bonney stated in a July 2007 article that those circumstances included her “difficult” divorce from Maurice Whitaker. She had previously been married to Håkan Hagegård for seven years; that marriage had also ended in divorce.
Bonney is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music and is visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Music, London. She is also on the faculty of Mozarteum University Salzburg, as University Professor of Singing. She is also on the faculty of the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria.
It seems that Bonney has retired and is now a teacher. At this date, it is. highly unlikely that she will take up singing for an audience again. But we do have her recordings (she has appeared on more than 90 of them, including 15 solo recitals). Artists are not obliged to be artists forever, and thus Bonney has said goodbye to the world of live performance. But we do have a record or her beautiful voice.