By Janelle Gelfand
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The horns lifted their bells, the timpanist pounded out great drum beats and soprano Jennifer Aylmer walked out for the heavenly song that concluded Mahler's Symphony No. 4 with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Friday night.

It capped a stunning journey through the many moods, images and emotions that make up the Mahler universe. The Cincinnati Symphony's journey on Friday, led by music director Paavo Jarvi, was nothing short of a revelation.

Jarvi and the orchestraplayed a difficult program, including Haydn's Symphony No. 102 and a Bach Ricercar, that was as fresh and exciting as if they'd been on spring break.

Mahler's Fourth has a simplicity about it that makes it one of his most beautiful symphonies. The finale, which calls for soprano solo, uses a Wunderhorn poem, describing heavenly joy as seen through the eyes of a child.

Jarvi's view of Mahler's Fourth was vividly colored and warmly human. He had a way of illuminating hidden phrases, and adding life to every note. The first movement, which opens with sleigh bells, was exuberantly played and had a feeling of spontaneity. Its slow ending, with high strings and gorgeous horn calls (Thomas Sherwood) had an air of nostalgia.

The scherzo was like a grotesque, eerie daydream - Timothy Lees played the dance of death on a mistuned fiddle - followed by some of the most beautiful music ever written. The third movement, a lullaby, was the heart of this work. The strings are playing with an extraordinary lightness and transparency these days, and it glowed with an inner beauty.

The finale was a radiant summation. Aylmer, who just sang her first Pamina in New York City Opera's Magic Flute, sang with ideal lightness and purity and caught the childlike innocence of the words.

This was inspired music making; the musicians rose to the occasion with exceptionally fine playing. Jarvi controlled the outbursts, and shaped each phrase with feeling, with a result that was refined and glowing.

Haydn's Symphony No. 102 in B-flat Major, in the first half, also glowed. It was bright and ebullient, and Jarvi underlined every accent and phrase to maximum effect. The finale was the highlight, where Jarvi brought out Haydn's humor with chirping flutes and fleet strings.

The evening opened with J.S. Bach's Ricercar (a six-part fugue) from The Musical Offering. The orchestration by Anton Webern was like viewing a pointillistic painting; you had to connect the dots.

E-mail jgelfand@enquirer.com