MUSIC REVIEW : Few Thrills in Pacific’s ‘Messiah’

Highly professional and consistently uncompelling, the Pacific Symphony’s 1992 edition of Handel’s “Messiah” at the Orange County Performing Arts Center nevertheless held interest through its abridged 2 1/2-hour length Saturday afternoon.

Deputizing for an indisposed colleague, conductor Michael Palmer led an often brisk, usually stylish and accumulative reading of Handel’s masterpiece.

For the most part, the 29-member chamber orchestra, 65 singers from the Pacific Chorale and a quartet of vocal soloists from the world of American opera seemed to give Palmer (who also led this traditional presentation last year) an honest and efficient run-through.

But it was one without bite, textual illumination or musical frisson. There was motivation aplenty in Palmer’s characteristically quick tempos, and a real sense of continuity in his pacing, but very few thrills. The actual subject of Messianic coming-to-earth, suffering, death and resurrection did not appear to touch this performance.

It was, however, neatly accomplished.

The little, sometimes underpowered, orchestra played gamely. The chorale seemed unfazed by Palmer’s speedy tempos and enunciated many words clearly while making handsome sounds in almost every moment. The soloists--Michele Patzakis, Patricia McAfee, Beau Palmer and Richard Bernstein--met a good standard among “Messiah” quartets, though none of them seemed equipped with a trill.

Nevertheless, and with admirable vocalism, Bernstein gave the strongest, most word-sensitive performance. Patzakis’ handsome but sometimes fluttery soprano coped easily with most Handelian challenges. McAfee’s pleasant mezzo-soprano seemed to lack full resonance--she gave evidence of suffering an indisposition--while Palmer’s willing artistry appeared vocally underendowed..

Finally, the large audience behaved itself, notwithstanding a short chorus of coughers in “He was despised.”