“There were literally hundreds (an usher estimated 300) lined up, down the steps, down the block, and across the lobby,” CSO media relations manager Nellie Cummins says.

        The Saturday concert attracted almost 2,600 concertgoers, who cheered (some even screamed) at the conclusion of Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique.

        It was Maestro Jarvi's only Music Hall engagement this season.

        What can music lovers expect when he begins his tenure next season? Programming won't be announced until February, but the 37-year-old maestro offered a few clues in a recent interview with the Enquirer.

        “Not everything is finalized, but I can say there is going to be lots of warhorse music, with a little bit of twist, some spice that every program needs,” he says. “It's going to be big, and very exciting.”

        Some of that spice could include one or two works he has recorded, such as Sibelius' Lemminkainen Suite and Benjamin Britten's Piano Concerto. (Check his Web site for more about his recordings: www.paavojarvi.com). We may also hear Brahms' Piano Quartet in G Minor, (orchestrated by Schoenberg), which Mr. Jarvi conducted in Indianapolis last month.

        Mr. Jarvi says he's looking forward to working with his new orchestra.

        “What's very important is to try to establish a new level of relationship, because up to now, I've been a guest,” he says. “The relationship is not just the high (points), it is also working, preserving things, building things.”

        Part of working with an orchestra involves shaping its sound. Every orchestra strives for a beautiful string sound, he says. But, he adds, “the ultimate test of virtuosity in an orchestra is to be able to change that sound according to the repertoire. If you play a Haydn symphony, you have to have a different sound concept than if you play a Tchaikovsky symphony.”

        “What very often happens is you have a section that plays always with a similar sound, even if it's very beautiful. The challenge is to have both.”

        Despite the euphoria at Music Hall, symphony management failed to sell out the house for any one of Maestro Jarvi's three concerts (Oct. 5-7).

        Do you have ideas for marketing the new maestro when the CSO begins a new era next season? Contact me at the address below.

        Vermeer Quartet: The Cincinnati Chamber Music Society opened its 71st season Tuesday in Corbett Auditorium with the distinguished Vermeer Quartet.

        One of the joys of this concert, attended by about 300, was the creative program: music by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and American composer Joan Tower.

        Founded 30 years ago at the Marlboro Festival in Vermont, the quartet members play with the same heartbeat.

        Beethoven's Quartet in A Major, Op. 18 No. 5 was notable for its warmth, yet its classical lines were clearly delineated. Shmuel Ashkenasi led from the first violin chair with flair, personality and flawless intonation. A highlight came in the third movement, when a hushed, hymnlike fourth variation contrasted with the exuberant, robust variation that followed.

        Joan Tower's Night Fields (1994) is an arresting, moody piece, built on angular themes and motives that repeat insistently. In one movement, its sections contrasted a counterpoint of intense, edgy dialogue with moments of haunting atmosphere, as if the music was moving in slow motion.

        The ensemble attacked it with brilliance, traveling over its rugged landscape with gripping momentum.

        Sparks flew in Tchaikovsky's Quartet No. 3 in E-flat Minor which concluded, where the musicians brought out all the work's pathos with fervor. Most extraordinary, though, was their perfectly matched sound, even in the height of passion.

        The society's season continues on Dec. 5 with the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio. Information: 533-0451.

        Talking numbers: CSO subscription sales so far are down slightly, at about 6,100 this season. The orchestra sells all year; last year it sold 7,902, publicity manager Anne Black says. The CSO's operating budget is $28 million.

        In Columbus, the numbers are up. The Columbus Symphony Orchestra (budget $9.1 million) reports more than 5,600 subscribers for its 46-week season. The orchestra says the 8 percent increase in new ticket sales is partly because of its charismatic music director, Alessandro Siciliani, and partly because of a new strategic marketing program. Their consultant is Douglas Kinzey, the marketing guru who helped turn around the Dallas Symphony, which has been sold-out by subscription for most of the past decade.

        Musical tribute: Patricia Berlin, professor of voice at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, who died last month, will be remembered in an afternoon of songs performed by faculty members and alumni, 4 p.m. Nov. 5 in the Robert Werner Recital Hall at CCM.

        Miss Berlin taught many students over three decades, some of whom have gone on to important international careers.

        She joined the CCM faculty in 1973 and for more than 18 years chaired one of the most important voice departments in the nation. She held the title of Dieterle Professor of Voice since 1993.

        Mary Henderson Stucky's recital, previously scheduled for that time, will be at a later date.

        Who's on second: The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has appointed a new principal second violinist. Gabriel Pegis, former concertmaster of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, sits in the Al Levinson Chair.

        London bound: Still on a high from their Carnegie Hall debut last April, Walnut Hills High School Orchestra is going to London.

        The 55-piece orchestra will perform a free lunchtime concert on April 9 in St. Martin-in-the-Fields, a historic church in the heart of London on Trafalgar Square.

        “We're preparing a concert of short pieces, probably some of Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik,the last movement of Grieg's Holberg Suite, Telemann's Viola Concerto and a piece by Sting,” music director Ken Welsh says.

        It's not definite yet, but there's a “very good possibility” the group also will play St. Paul's Cathedral, Mr. Welsh says.

        With a cost of $1,350 for each student, fund-raising already has begun. “You name it, we sell it,” he says. The students will also perform for private parties.

        Meanwhile, they've sold 200 CDs of their Carnegie Hall performance. To buy a CD ($10) or for information about student performers, call 569-5508.

        A noteworthy contest: Cincinnati Camerata's annual composition contest is under way. Each year, the choral group, led by Christian Miller, awards a $500 prize for a winning choral composition. This year's work for 20-25 voices will make its world premiere on the Camerata's Feb. 25 program.

        Aspiring composers must submit their entry by Jan. 31. The text should be an “Alleluia,” and the length must be 5-7 minutes. For contest guidelines, contact Mr. Miller at (859) 491-2362.

        E-mail jgelfand@enquirer.com.

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