It may not have looked compelling on paper — Wagner, Richard Strauss' Oboe Concerto and Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony — but in fact, Paavo Jarvi's Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra program Saturday night had particular charm.

        CSO musicians welcomed back their new maestro for a month of concerts with energized, often exceptional playing, and Mr. Jarvi's inspired direction left a glow that lasted long after the last notes had ended.

        The opener, Wagner's Siegfried Idyll, was reflective and unhurried, phrased with a tenderness that had all the effect of a warm embrace. Mr. Jarvi captured the intimacy of this work, composed for Wagner's wife Cosima and premiered on Christmas morning at their Swiss home.

        The string sound of the reduced orchestra was delicate and quite beautiful, gently swelling at the climax, and balanced by nuanced playing in the winds and horns.

        From the first notes of Strauss' Oboe Concerto, it was evident that Douglas Boyd is an oboist of unusual caliber and imagination. In his CSO debut, the Scottish oboist projected a tone of immense color, and smoothly navigated leaps and runs with ease and spontaneity.

        It was a glowing collaboration of a piece from Strauss' old age. The orchestra provided a luminous backdrop and there were winning dialogues with orchestral soloists. (Violist Marna Street stood out for her engaging contribution.)

        Mr. Boyd gave the Andante movement an air of nostalgia, displaying stunning control of its long-breathed lines, and soaring without a break into the witty finale. Of the two definitive recordings of this concerto, Mr. Boyd has recorded one (with Paavo Berglund and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe on ASV). The other is by the CSO under Michael Gielen with oboist Heinz Holliger (Vox).

        The concert's second half was briefly delayed so emergency personnel could help a patron who had fallen. Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3, Scottish, made a breathtaking conclusion. Mr. Jarvi's vision was spacious, romantic and utterly clear; at times, he urged his players on with great sweeping gestures and pats over his heart.

        The first movement opened with a dark color and violins that phrased like one. Every theme and musical gesture was illuminated, contrasting with rich waves of tremolos and drum rolls. Mr. Jarvi linked the first two and final two movements without a break.

        The Vivace was a true Mendelssohnian scherzo that had horns and winds scrambling to keep up, but it sparkled with vivacity. The Adagio was beautifully felt, and the conductor never allowed its triplet rhythms to bog down.

        Mr. Jarvi brought the finale to a noble finish and the audience to its feet.

        Earlier, board vice chairman James B. Reynolds announced that Peter G. Courlas and Nicholas Tsimaras have endowed two orchestra chairs, occupied by violinist Kathryn Robertson and cellist Charles Snavely.

        The CSO season continues Thursday with Paavo Jarvi conducting, and Isabelle van Keulen, guest violinist. Tickets: 381-3300 or www.cincinnatisymphony.org.

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