Paris loved them.

With Paavo Jarvi on the podium, the Cincinnati Symphony's Paris debut was nothing short of spectacular. Despite night after night of performances on this 11-concert, nine-city, five-country tour, Jarvi's view of Mahler was fresh, spontaneous and full of discovery. The musicians - who endured a late night performing in Mannheim, Germany, and rose at 5 a.m. to catch a flight from Frankfurt to Paris - played as if their lives depended on it, and turned in an electrifying performance.

From the trumpet call that opens this Mahler universe, played with stunning focus by Philip Collins, the performance was vastly detailed and emotion-filled. The acoustics in the Chatelet were predictably dry, but the orchestra made up for it with powerful sonorities and wonderful expression.

Jarvi galvanized his players, clenching his fists and throwing up his arms, and then touching his heart. The second movement had a kind of brutal intensity, and its brass chorales were breathtaking. The scherzo was alive with color, nostalgia and rustic charm, and Karl Pituch's horn solos soared magnificently. The Adagietto began almost imperceptibly, a radiant moment in which time stood still.

The crowd was silent, leaning over the balcony railings raptly, and bursting into bravos and rhythmic clapping at the conclusion. Visibly moved by the reaction, Jarvi gave them Sibelius' Valse triste, and again, the musicians gave it their all. Truly, Jarvi has molded this orchestra into something quite extraordinary.

Helene Grimaud shone the brightest she has to date in this, her native country. Her playing in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 was simply luminous, and the audience clapped for her long after the house lights turned on.

E-mail jgelfand@enquirer.com