CONSIDERED OPINION OF RED {AN ORCHESTRA}'S CONCERT A RED SOLSTICE, 12/8/07

Ottorino Respighi: Antiche danze ed arie per liuto, Suite No 3. Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Seasons—Concerto No 4 in F minor, Op 8, RV 297, "L'inverno" (Winter).  Heinrich Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie, SWV 435 (Caroline Goulding, v.; Jonathan Sheffer, cond.).

It seems oddly incongruous to modern eyes: that a pink limestone sarcophagus, decorated with large rosettes, should be the final resting place of one of history's most famous killers. Yet, when archaeologist Ehud Netzer announced the results of his excavation just seven months ago, he seemed pretty certain of what he had found: the burial site of Herod the Great.

Herod's story is a bloody one. The casualties of his reign included three of his sons, one of his ten wives, and a whole passel of in-laws. If the account in Matthew's Gospel is accepted as historical fact, the first-born male children of Bethlehem were also among his victims. The Massacre of the Innocents supplies the climax of Heinrich Schütz's Christmas History—the concluding work on Red {an orchestra}'s A Red Solstice. And the program's two halves, showcasing Red's best and weakest sides, seem as mismatched as the tyrannical king of Judea and that flowery pink sarcophagus.

Saturday evening's concert-opening performance of Respighi's third Ancient Airs and Dances suite confirmed the impression of Red's last outing: that the orchestra's technical standards are generally higher this year than they've been in the past. Conductor Jonathan Sheffer carefully calibrated the dynamics of Respighi's suite. The result was expressive, but never quaint or smarmy.

Vivaldi's "Winter" concerto featured the impressively poised young violinist Caroline Goulding as soloist. The accompanying ensemble sounded a bit coarse in the first movement, but the effect seemed intentional: a winter so horrifying it anticipated the shrieking strings of Psycho's shower scene.

The second half of the program, featuring Sheffer's arrangement of Schütz's Christmas History, was by contrast an unwelcome flashback to last year's That Red Guy. If you heard Sheffer's arrangements of Bach last April, you've pretty much heard what he does with Schütz: most notably, slather on a layer of garish tuned percussion. Sheffer's program notes tell you to expect "sounds associated with contemporary music (classical and popular)." But, to my ears, the arrangement more closely recalls bachelor pad music of the 50s and 60s. Moreover, the space-age effects, heard in Tremont's Pilgrim Church, tended to drown out the attractive but gentle soprano of Jung Eun Oh.

The half-hearted staging of the work, meanwhile, distracted more often than it enlightened. Why was Andrew Lipian—the uneven countertenor who served as the Evangelist—adorned with pale makeup and red hair? Why did the metallic-clad Angel flit off the stage like a flapper at the end of her numbers? And was all the to-ing and fro-ing the reason the second half's performance standard—from the instrumental accompaniment to some of the small-group singing-seemed lower than that of the first? So many mysteries. And yet we learn two important lessons. First: Red's a really fine ensemble—when they concentrate on the business of simply playing music. And, second: that music's "theater of the mind" can be infinitely more satisfying than a theater of red hair and shiny lamé dresses.

Jerome Crossley for WCLV 104/9.

Considered Opinions is WCLV's program that reviews performances by Cleveland-area music ensembles. Commentator Jerome Crossley offers an informed and witty perspective on performances by groups that include the Cleveland Orchestra, Opera Cleveland, and Red {an orchestra}. Considered Opinions typically airs at 9.45 a.m., 12.20 p.m., and 5.20 p.m. the Friday following a Cleveland Orchestra concert, and it repeats at 9.45 a.m. on Saturday. Other air-times depend on the schedule of the ensembles reviewed.

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