The sellout crowd at the Basilica of St. Mary on Wednesday night for the Minnesota Orchestra's presentation of Handel's "Messiah" witnessed one of the least successful performances of the oratorio in recent memory.

The fault lay first and foremost with conductor Stephen Layton. Granted, with a work this familiar, it is hard for a performance to be revelatory. But his was a bland rendition that ignored the work's inherent dramatic shape, presenting it instead as a series of disjointed individual numbers. As a result, much of the performance dragged, lacking forward momentum.

Layton's small-scale interpretation emphasized delicacy and clarity of detail over emotional commitment. That may have been in response to the limitations of his singers. It did show off the orchestra's ability to produce a crystalline, chamber-music-like sound.

The tenor role is the least rewarding in terms of showpieces, but Thomas Cooley was the most satisfying soloist, bringing a clean, white sound to "Every valley shall be exalted." What he lacked in sumptuous tone, he made up for in clear articulation and excellent diction.

Soprano Janice Chandler-Eteme had a sweet voice and could float a lovely pianissimo, but her eccentric means of vocal production resulted in a mannered, off-putting delivery of the text. Her rendition of "I know that my Redeemer liveth" was pretty, but with little sense of meaning or exultation.

Bass-baritone Nathan Berg's small-scale voice was overwhelmed by the size of the venue. When he would force his pleasant lyric instrument, he would literally start to bray. And he seemed in danger of being strangled by the coloratura in "The trumpet shall sound."

As a last-minute replacement, mezzo Jennifer Hines deserves the benefit of a doubt. But she seemed to be virtually sight reading. Her faulty technique left her with a thick, unwieldy sound. The exquisite pathos of "He was despised" was lost in her muddy tone.

The vocal highlight of the evening was the Minnesota Chorale. They sang joyously, making even the most overfamiliar music, like "Hallelujah Chorus," sound fresh. And with their exemplary diction, they communicated the meaning of the texts, giving the evening its only real emotional resonance.

"Messiah" is hardly Handel's greatest work, even among his English oratorios. But it is a reverent piece of masterful simplicity and straightforward emotional accessibility. This kind of lackluster performance can only tarnish that magnificence.

William Randall Beard is a Minneapolis writer.