MUSIC REVIEW : Sidlin, Pacific Symphony Give Multimedia Concert

The Pacific Symphony’s latest effort was billed as a “Photochoreographic Concert.” It turned out to be a slide show. A very nice slide show, with Murry Sidlin conducting music by Aaron Copland at a sold-out Segerstrom Hall on Saturday.

When combined with a sequence of photographs by James Westwater, the suite from “Appalachian Spring” became “Heartland Suite.”

That’s because the photography had nothing to with the story of Copland’s ballet. It had to do with what a pretty country America is: Flowers, forests, farmhouses were shown in rich and vibrant color.

It also had to do with how diligent and caring and good her people are: Men, women and children were shown happy, healthy and hard at work. As one scene artfully segued into the next, Copland’s familiar, bucolic music suited the visual display just fine. It was like a National Geographic Special without the narration.

It did seem rather incongruous to combine scenes from a county fair--clowns, children on a Ferris wheel and prize-pig contests--with the Shaker hymn variations. And scene changes that were supposed to synchronize exactly with musical accents didn’t. But the audience seemed to enjoy it, and occasionally laughed.

The “Billy the Kid” suite became “Western Suite.” Again, the photography was spectacular. Again, the story of “Billy” was completely ignored, even though it appeared in the program notes and even though Sidlin gave a prefatory introduction to Copland’s musical depiction of the legend.

Oh, the music? To those able to concentrate on the sounds as well as the sights, the ensemble gave respectable and vigorous readings of both suites, though a fair number of ragged entrances detracted.

Between these multimedia adventures, baritone John Atkins delivered six of Copland’s “Old American Songs.” Fine projection, cogent expression and vocal agility characterized his singing. Delivering texts with absolute clarity, he brought, for example, moving sensitivity to “At the River,” energetic vitality to “Ching-a-Ring Chaw” and heroic dignity to “Zion’s Walls.” The orchestra, though occasionally a little behind the singer, accompanied supportively.

Sidlin & Company opened with an accident-prone but enthusiastic reading of the “Outdoor Overture.”