Excitement in short supply for NACO's Messiah

Do you suppose there are any major orchestras in North America that don't offer a Messiah at this time of year? There might be, but the National Arts Centre Orchestra is honouring a hallowed and almost inviolable tradition in performing Handel's most enduring masterpiece last night and tonight.

Over the years the orchestra's approach to Messiah, while hardly "authentic" by today's standards, has usually been governed by an intelligent regard for baroque style. This is particularly the case in years like this when they bring in the Cantata Singers to sing the choruses. At about 40 voices, this choir is ideal in size and technically up to the music's demands.

Thus it was that last night's performance under American conductor Joseph Colaneri offered a tasteful middle-of-the road Messiah experience to an ample audience in the NAC's Southam Hall. When tenor Michael Colvin sang the first words of the oratorio, "Comfort ye!" there was special resonance in a performance that would prove to be comfortable indeed.

Yet real excitement was in short supply, despite the excellent orchestral playing and a number of other definite pleasures.

The Cantata Singers, while more than adequate, were not at peak form. For example, the 16th-note runs that embellish so many of the choruses, while executed more or less correctly, created an impression of struggle rather than strength.

As a result, the impact of numbers like For unto us a Child is born was less than ideal.

Furthermore, while the blend and internal tuning of the Cantata Singers has become more admirable than ever in the past year or so, the shrillness of a few voices in the soprano section becomes harder to ignore each time the choir performs.

The quartet of soloists was fairly good. Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian has a wonderfully bright and clear voice and generally uses it well, even if the occasional note in her coloratura gleamed rather than shone. The effect could be unsettling, although otherwise her singing was exceedingly beautiful.

Mezzo-soprano Catherine Robbin sang beautifully, too, albeit with evidence of labour in some of the faster passages, though the alto arias in Messiah are of subtler appeal than those for soprano.

Michael Colvin sang the tenor arias and recitatives with precision, feeling and superb diction. The tenor may be the most important of the soloists in Messiah as he sings the first two vocal numbers, setting the tone for the whole enterprise, and is also given the most crucial solo parts of the passion sequence, all of which Colvin executed effectively.

Baritone Stephen Salters did well by the bass arias. A darker voice would have suited the music better, but Salter's offers its own rewards and his singing was unfailingly musical.