Pacific Chorale’s Mannerly Missa ‘Solemnis’

Symphonic in its proportions, daunting in its technical requirements and transcendent in spirit, Beethoven’s Missa “Solemnis” demands much of its interpreters. On Saturday night at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, John Alexander led the combined forces of the Pacific Chorale and the Pacific Symphony in a performance that exulted in musical integrity but communicated scant dramatic insight.

Joined by a balanced quartet of soloists--soprano Patricia Prunty, mezzo-soprano Adelaide Sinclair, tenor Robert MacNeil and bass-baritone Dean Elzinga--Alexander concentrated on pure sound: the quality of tone at any dynamic level and in any range, the sculpting of phrase endings, the thrust of one line, the intertwining of many. Taken aside from the text, this produced impressive, sometimes even glorious results, particularly in Beethoven’s fugues that draw on vocalists and instrumentalists as equals, seemingly without considering human limitations.

But an emphasis on vocal beauty hindered potential moments of dramatic impact. In the Gloria, for instance, the force of Beethoven’s declarations of praise was softened by rounded phrases and burnished blends that also lessened the contrast between strength and supplication. Moreover, throughout the mass, the choir found a full-bodied forte but little sensitivity to gradations--implied by text and line--within that dynamic level.

The soloists gloried in the sweep of their musical lines--to splendid effect during the Benedictus--but reserved any sense of sublime connection to text for the closing movement, which they conveyed with fearful urgency and humble pleading.

Their orchestral partners conveyed touching attentiveness to mood, a sensibility crowned by concertmaster Kevin Connolly’s exquisite solo during the Sanctus.