To see a composer of Krzysztof Penderecki's stature conduct his own music is to witness history as it happens.

        On Friday in Music Hall, Mr. Penderecki, who established his reputation in 1960 with his avant-garde Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, conducted the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra premiere of his Violin Concerto No. 2, as well as Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 and Coriolan Overture.

        Helping him make history was Lithuanian-born violinist Julian Rachlin, 27, a major talent with all the makings of a brilliant career ahead of him.

        Mr. Penderecki's Concerto No. 2, Metamorphoses, was commissioned by the violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and won two Grammy Awards in 1999. It unfolds in one massive, 38-minute movement that exploits the tonal range of the solo instrument and is equally demanding for the orchestra.

        Although Mr. Penderecki's style has evolved from his early dissonant period, it's hard to label him neo-romantic. The style of this concerto is ruggedly individual — a musical canvas that is at times thorny, driving and complex; in other moments richly communicative.

        It is, in many ways, a throwback to the past. The concerto's chromatic motives and long, arching form reminded one of both Wagner and Bartok. The incessant repetition of small cells seemed to echo ideas used by Beethoven in his Symphony No. 5, which followed.

        Mr. Rachlin tackled the concerto with fierce intensity, intelligence and superb technique. Even in the most urgent, driving passages, the clarity and electricity of his playing were memorable.

        He projected a pure, beautiful tone on his ""ex Carrodus'' Guarnerius del Gesu violin. Some of the most haunting moments were the elegiac duos with orchestral soloists Anthony McGill (clarinet) and Duane Dugger (horn).

        The cadenza, a display of high harmonics, double stops and supercharged figures, was gripping. The concerto concluded with the violin soaring in the stratosphere, over dark undercurrents in the orchestra.

        Mr. Penderecki led the orchestra seamlessly, painting broad strokes of color and feeling every note with the soloist. More than once, however, the full sonorities swamped the violinist.

        Mr. Penderecki, 69, is a clear, no-nonsense conductor. His opening Coriolan Overture was dark-hued and well-paced. Its build-up of dramatic tension was tempered by the lyricism of the flowing second theme.

        The morning concert concluded with a rewarding performance of Beethoven's Fifth. The conductor's view was warm and expansive — particularly in the second movement, where he put his baton down to emphasize the singing quality of the winds.

        The “fate” motive did not have the split-second precision of the rendition heard here in 1999 under Paavo Jarvi. But the urgency, weight and musicality made it a joy to hear.

        Mr. Penderecki captured the power and mystery of the scherzo. The pianissimo he achieved just before the explosive punch of the finale, was breathtaking.

She sews her stories
Musk roses caught fancy of poets and growers
Exhibit's events offer eclectic range of topics
To do this week
Composer, violinist give premiere brilliance
No waiting for best of festival
Circle this
In the know
Get to it