When Miguel Harth-Bedoya stepped in to replace conductor James DePreist (recovering from a kidney transplant) Friday night at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, music lovers got a glimpse of an emerging talent.

        From the first notes of Ravel's Rapsodie Espagnole, it was evident that this would be an evening of finely detailed, engaging performances. In his CSO debut, Mr. Harth-Bedoya, a 33-year-old native of Lima, Peru, was a confident leader in the program that included Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2 with Garrick Ohlsson and Dvorak's Symphony No. 8.

        Newly appointed music director of the Fort Worth Symphony, the maestro leads without fanfare, but has clear musical ideas that, on Friday, inspired the CSO musicians to play extremely well. His tempos leaned to the slow side; several times I wished for more momentum. But the sonorities he drew were often exquisite, and balance was beautifully controlled.

        The Ravel, which opened the program, was refined, yet it also had unexpected nuances. The Prelude emerged as exotic, delicate night music; the Habanera was gentle and swaying. The atmosphere was enhanced by wonderful contributions from the winds, in particular the clarinets and English hornist Christopher Philpotts.

        For the centerpiece, Mr. Ohlsson, a bear of a man, hunched his 6 foot 4 inch frame over the keyboard, and played with enormous lightness and clarity in Beethoven's Concerto No. 2. Runs were pristine, and his first movement cadenza was thoughtful and imaginative. His phrasing was consistently beautifully shaped, particularly in the recitative-like ending of the slow movement.

        Though his playing was a tad understated in the finale, it was spirited and warm, and the conductor and soloist were in perfect communion.

        Mr. Harth-Bedoya's grasp of expression and color were beautifully realized in Dvorak's Symphony No. 8, an outpouring of one melody after another. His interpretation had elegance and warmth, and the players responded with the kind of precision that made it a joy to hear.

        The brass played superbly and with controlled power; the winds phrased with character, and the strings were luminous. Mr. Harth-Bedoya brought the finale, which opened with a superb fanfare by principal trumpeter Phil Collins, to an exciting, brass-filled climax — and the audience to its feet.

        With such music making, one can assume we'll be seeing more of him on major podiums.

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