CONSIDERED OPINION OF THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA CONCERT OF 2/14/08

Leos Janácek: Sinfonietta. Béla Bartók: Bluebeard's Castle, Op. 11. (Eörs Kisfaludy, narrator; John Relyea, Bluebeard; Michelle DeYoung, Judith; Pierre Boulez, cond.)

Hogwarts Castle...the mystery-filled Italian abbey of The Name of the Rose...Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. There are some imaginary buildings every bit as important to works of fiction as plot twists or personalities or narrative styles. So it is with the shadowy, forbidding edifice that bodies forth its owner's murderous soul in Béla Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle. The castle is so central to the story that Béla Balázs, the librettist, included it in his original list of characters.

And yet, if you head to Severance Hall this weekend to hear Pierre Boulez and the Cleveland Orchestra perform Bartók's one-act opera, you'll see no brooding sets, no severe and gloomy costumes. But you won't mind. A few bars in, and you'll completely forget you're sitting in a plush royal-blue chair amid Severance Hall's wedding-dress décor.

From the spoken prologue, voiced by Eörs Kisfaludy, to the opera's chilling final notes, Boulez's tautly-conducted Bluebeard's Castle was one of the most compelling performances I've ever attended at Severance. Bass-baritone John Relyea, this weekend's Bluebeard, brings the ideal air of suppressed erotic menace to the part. Indeed, the only moment when you regret that this isn't a fully staged performance is when you realize that Relyea doesn't just sound perfect in the role: he has a natural theatrical presence that would be unforgettable in a full production. A costume designer and director could do wonders highlighting the interplay between Relyea's rich, dense voice and his lean and hungry look.

Mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung invests Bluebeard's latest conquest Judith with a degree of dignity you won't always see in this character. The emotional range of the part is wide. Within the space of an hour, Judith is an infatuated girl threatening to die on her beloved's stoop, a sensual enchantress intent on warming his icy castle with her body, a horror-struck woman oppressed by the sheer weight of what she's seen. DeYoung keeps these centrifugal moods strongly anchored to a core of personality. Her Judith is not just beautifully sung; it's dramatically convincing as well.

The program opener—Leos Janá cek's Sinfonietta—didn't come close to matching the visceral impact of Bartók's opera. Despite a few nicely realized details, Boulez's reserved reading didn't capture the uncouth, sometimes even barbaric spirit of the music. Nor did it make a convincing case for an alternative approach.

Fans of '70s progressive rock, incidentally, might recognize the Sinfonietta's opening fanfare as the basis of Emerson, Lake & Palmer's song "Knife Edge." Mind you, Keith Emerson was known for heaving his Hammond organ across the stage, shoving implements between its keys, even playing it upside down. Go see this weekend's performance of the Sinfonietta and you'll probably not see so much as a thrown glockenspiel. And maybe that's too bad. Boulez's Sinfonietta might benefit from a little mayhem.

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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