It's a familiar instrument to most, but the harp rarely has a chance to shine as soloist. On Friday morning, principal harpist Gillian Benet Sella moved from the back of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra to the front.

        The concert offered Music Hall concertgoers a glimpse of a complicated, intricate instrument up close. It was also a chance to hear radiant repertoire composed for the harp, glowingly performed by an exceptional artist.

        Ms. Sella shared the stage with guest conductor Christian Arming and a reduced orchestra of strings, for Debussy's Danses sacrees et Profanes. She played with an easy grace in this difficult work, originally composed for the now-obsolete chromatic harp.

        Ms. Sella's sound is warm, and her articulation pristine. She clearly intoned the chant-inspired melody of the Danse sacree amid atmospheric arpeggios and cadenza-like passages. The subtle Spanish rhythms of the Danse profane were played with taste and charm, and the orchestra supported with delicate textures.

        Flute and clarinet were added for Ravel's Introduction and Allegro. This was an evocative sound world, blending sweeping glissandos and arpeggios with well-defined themes.

        The harpist performed it with animation, beautifully executing the tricky cadenza that combines glissandos and harmonics all at once.

        Mr. Arming never overpowered her. A high point was the dialogue carried on between harp, flute (Kyril Magg) and clarinet (Anthony McGill).

        Mr. Arming, 29, made an impression in Berlioz's Roman Carnival Overture and Brahms' Symphony No. 3, in his first appearance with the CSO. The young Austrian maestro, who is music director of Janacek Philharmonic (Czech Republic), was first seen here in the pit of Cincinnati Opera's The Turn of the Screw.

        After the French harp music, his Brahms was heaven of a different sort: introspective, gentle and smiling. Mr. Arming is graceful on the podium; his fluid gestures — swooping cues, leaning into phrases with arms outstretched, crouching for a pianissimo — remind one of Seiji Ozawa, his mentor. His work is more than show; he is thoughtful and musical, and the orchestra performed well for him.

        The movements were spacious, mellow and well-paced, and he cultivated a lightness in the strings. The Andante had the aura of chamber music, marked by singing lines and fine contributions from the winds (notably principal clarinetist Richard Hawley).

        The nostalgic mood included a beautiful horn solo in the third movement (Thomas Sherwood). The serene brass chorale of the finale moved the audience of 1,892 to standing ovation.

        The program opened with a vigorous reading of Berlioz's Roman Carnival Overture. Mr. Arming balanced its lyricism and splashy excitement with confidence. Keep your eyes on this young maestro.

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