The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra kicked off its summer Riverbend season Thursdaywith a performance that was on constant crescendo, beginning with a gentle piece by Robert Schumann and culminating in a series of Slavonic and Hungarian dances by Antonin Dvorak and Johannes Brahms.

        The birds were back to lend their chirps, as were the barges with their horns. As always, the sun set at the very beginning of the second half of the concert, changing the summertime mood from easy early evening to romantic night.

        Guest conductor Andreas Delfs led the orchestra through Schumann's delicate Overture from the Overture, Scherzo and Finale in E major, Op. 52, with laid-back finesse. The orchestra gave it a little gusto and energy toward the end of the piece.

        Guest violinist Kurt Nikkanen, 35, is gaining a reputation as an internationally recognized soloist. His interpretation of Mendelssohn's Concerto in E minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 64,could explain why.

        A powerful player, his sense of timing was apparent in the cadenza, a solo that brings out the capabilities of the instrument and the artist. Mr. Nikkanen paused between passages in the cadenza that were more like breaths taken in between sentences.

        He played the melody in the second movement, “Andante,” with clarity and strength, particularly in the bow arm. It wasn't a bittersweet rendition, but it could have been, had Mr. Nikkanen played more demurely.

        Mr. Nikkanen stomped his foot like a fiddle-player during the “Allegro molto vivace.” With the fourth movement's marathon runs and impressive string crossing, Mendelssohn all but insured the soloist a standing ovation. When Mr. Nikkanen finished, that's exactly what he got — twice.

        After intermission, it was the orchestra's — and Mr. Delfs' — time to shine. And they did — performing beautiful renditions of Dvorak's Slavonic and Brahms' Hungarian Dances that conjured images of Eastern European gypsies and the countrysides they roam.

        Dvorak's Slavonic Dance in G minor, Op. 46, No. 8 revealed a charged orchestra that moved through the rhythmic passages with passion.

        Mr. Delfs' guided the orchestra toward authentic interpretation. His laid-back persona was discarded for the dances. He himself danced about the riser and his facial features — especially when the brass or first violin sections got too loud — make a critique easier.

        He and the orchestra also finished to a standing ovation.

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