Apollo's Fire @ Trinity Cathedral 12/11 Trinity Cathedral's nighttime shadows and heaven-reaching arches created an ideal space for Handel's Messiah as interpreted by Apollo's Fire. The baroque orchestra conducted by Jeannette Sorrell eschewed the mega-chorus model in favor of an 18th-century small ensemble one. The swift- fingered instrumentalists and nimbly voiced choral ensemble moved (often) at a breakneck pace that conveyed the urgency and force of the sacred oratorio. Tenor Ian Honeyman opened the proceedings singing words from Biblical prophet Isaiah.

Looking like an eccentric from the wilderness, he exploited his considerable dramatic as well as vocal skills as he alternately confided in, cajoled, and harangued the audience. The evening belonged, however, to soprano Amanda Forsythe. The red-gowned Forsythe easily shifted from exuberant, bubbling passages about angels announcing "great joy" and the birth of a "righteous Savior" to the heart-breaking and assertive "I Know that my Redeemer Liveth."

Hers is a voice blessed with limpid flexibility and striking beauty that reaches the heart and evokes an emotional response to whatever she chooses to sing. One graceful touch for the concert was that she, like the other soloists, didn't sit awkwardly in front, but stepped from chorus when it was time to sing.

Other soloists were Elizabeth Shammash, a dusky-voiced mezzo-soprano, and Jeffrey Strauss, whose baritone seemed subdued in the setting (which favored higher voices). Luckily for those of us who crave to hear it again (and even more so for those who missed it) this performance and the others this month are being recorded for a new Apollo's Fire CD.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com
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