Handel probably more than any other opera composer I've heard used the voice as an instrument, competing and complementing other instruments in their settings, especially in Julius Caesar.
There is a legend, or truth, that one very famous Russian opera singer could break a crystal glass with his voice. In any case, he is considered to have had the most powerful voice of all singers of that time.
I guess I thought my response was obviously about volume, rather than emotional expression. Of course, the human voice is the most expressive of all instruments, this goes without saying. But as far as sheer power in the sense of volume - not even close. The human voice is simply not capable of the decibel levels of brass and percussion instruments, unless of course it is electronically amplified.
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