One of the great symphonies of the 20th century hasn't been heard in Cincinnati since 1985.

        On Friday, Paavo Jarvi led the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in a memorable performance of Carl Nielsen's dramatic Symphony No. 5. It was a powerful summation to this mostly-Nordic evening, that began with the CSO's first performance of Lepo Sumera's Symphony No. 6, the extraordinary final work of Mr. Jarvi's Estonian countryman. For the centerpiece, Lars Vogt, the most impressive pianist to debut here in recent memory, performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4.

        Nielsen wrote his Symphony No. 5 in the aftermath of World War I. Although it's not programmatic, it marches to a warlike drum. After vigorous conflict, its final moments are life-affirming.

        Mr. Jarvi made sense of its vast architecture, cast in two lengthy movements, and elicited a warmth and finesse from his players that was richly satisfying.

        The performance opened atmospherically, with delicate, nature-like sounds so inexplicably linked to Nordic music. An obsessive snare drum (William Platt) and horn calls called for battle; a soaring, lyrical section called for peace. Amidst the turmoil, an insistent clarinet theme pierced through (Richard Hawley). The clarinet returned at the movement's end against an off-stage snare drum, a haunting touch. Mr. Hawley played his mournful cadenza with extraordinary beauty.

        Mr. Jarvi led with broad gestures, urging his players on with momentum and feeling, and they responded with powerful, often eloquent playing. The second movement had a controlled intensity, that climaxed in a biting, brass-filled fugue. The strings breathed together as one voice; horns and trombones underscored in perfect balance.

        The sparse Music Hall crowd gave it the evening's second standing ovation.

        Beethoven's G major Piano Concerto is not bravura, but calls for searching interpretive gifts. Mr. Vogt, a native of Germany, never called attention to himself, but his pianism was fresh and utterly convincing.

        His technique was impressive: Clear articulation, glittering runs, flawless trills. But more importantly, he breathed life into each phrase with an ear for sonority and color. His musical ideas were appealing, even when his adrenalin pushed ahead in the sparkling finale.

        Mr. Jarvi gave him complete freedom, and achieved a smoothness in the strings that spoke to the poetic quality of this concerto.

        Lepo Sumera's Sixth Symphony was a different kind of poetry. In two movements, its well-crafted, multi-layered canvas uses minimalist and serial techniques. The first movement alternated sections of ethereal beauty — sustained strings colored by chimes, cymbals and celesta — with percussive, furious episodes that built to sudden cut-offs. The second movement featured an ever-ascending scale in the harp, bird-like harmonics in the strings and close canons. It ended on a luminous note.

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