“The Cleveland Orchestra” and “technically polished performance” must always be coupled together in the same sentence. Led by Swiss conductor Philippe Jordan, already the principal guest conductor of the Berlin Staatsoper unter den Linden and assistant to Daniel Barenboim at the youthful age of 32, the orchestra delivered one smoothly executed concert in Finney last Sunday. Highly acclaimed Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt joined them for Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major.

Schumann’s Overture to Byron’s Manfred, a stirring piece of symphonic writing, was programmed first. While the Orchestra flawlessly worked through the score, it generally lacked emotional sincerity, depth and space for the music to breathe.

Was the Cleveland Orchestra just playing casually?

Although Jordan’s conducting was extreme, passionate and expressive, the Orchestra didn’t seem to respond very well to it. For example, his sweeping gestures, which ought to have generated a loud sound, generated a sound that was indeed wondrous, but too soft.

No connection existed; there was no dialogue between the conductor and the orchestra. Uniformly — and in a somewhat distanced manner — the orchestra glided through special and important harmonic changes, although Jordan’s facial expressions tried to convey the opposite. Each orchestral section delivered brilliant and technically polished parts but still sounded disjointed from one another.

Pianist Angela Hewitt, a thin, fragile woman, entered the stage in a lovely strappy red dress. She began the charismatic, jazz-influenced Ravel “Piano Concerto in G” with vigor and in a nicely comprehensive tempo, instantly separating her from the various, popular ultra-sound-fast performances of the piece.

The last movement had a dazzling interpretation with its mischievous charm, playful sixteenth-note runs and energetic dialogues between the piano and the orchestra. It demonstated musical and emotional charge but Hewitt’s first movement lacked such sparkle.  Her tone lacked the necessary brilliance and projection, although technical passages were skillfully carried out.

The faultless English horn solo deserves a special praise. Sadly, the orchestra unpleasantly covered the soloist at times, possibly due to the soloist’s failure to project.  The singing piano solo that opened the second movement was neatly phrased but had a certain marring in the tone.

It didn’t take long for Hewitt and Jordan’s well-choreographed stage presence to become comical.  The actions seemed a bit over the top, especially at the end of the first movement where her brave plunge over the keyboard was mirrored in his exuberant gesture of hugging himself.

Certainly fatigue and the “casual” atmosphere of Oberlin’s lesser-known Finney Chapel in comparison to Cleveland’s grand Severance Hall had something to do with the less than exuberant performance.  While this concert was the third one in as many days, that schedule, although stressful, cannot possibly be an excuse.  It is in the law of musicianship to always deliver a heartfelt, enthusiastic performance and not doing so is considered unprofessional.

Despite Hewitt’s shortcomings in the Ravel, her charming Bach encore sealed the deal in the first half of the concert.

After the intermission there were more surprises in the orchestra’s apparent lack of polish.  Fauré’s Pelleas and Melisande Suite Op. 80, which narrates the sad story of unhappy lovers and strange death, sounded masterful, polite and cold; it needed more care and love. Regardless, the flute solo and its countering violin in the third movement, “Sicilienne,” were pretty and sincere. The solemn and tragic last movement, “La mort de Melisande,” came across with certain triviality, although the brass had a stellar moment in the culmination.

Jordan was obviously having the time of his life, exuberant and expressive, and was a pure spectacle to watch.

Schumann’s “Spring” Symphony No. 1 rounded the concert. The brass was ravishing again in the first movement, and while there was loudness and dynamics in the sound, intensity and enthusiasm were absent. The tempo in the second movement, “Larghetto,” dragged and overlooked some truly special moments.

The “Trio II” in the “Scherzo” movement was much too heavy and the gracious character of the fourth movement, “Allegro animato e grazioso,” was there only partially. The brass and the woodwinds played perfectly; virtuosic, technical and professional, their solos were impeccable. The joy in the culmination at the end, unfortunately, sounded artificial.