It was a captivating evening of splendidly performed music.

The varied program, consisting of Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Bernstein's "Chichester Psalms," with boy soprano Brian Gundell and the University of Nevada, Reno's Choral Union (prepared by Bruce Mayhall), and Ravel's orchestration of Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition," was a major achievement. The orchestra played sumptuously, Brian Gundell sang with purity and loveliness of tone, the chorus was sensitively prepared and sang gloriously and the program of mostly symphonic favorites was given fresh, elegant, majestic interpretations by Jekowsky.

It's Jekowsky, of course, who's making the right kind of musical waves and a major difference here. When it comes to interpretation, his is a pivotal talent. He conducts each work from the perspective of the composer's intentions without shoring things up with personal distortions. Yet he applies a personality and passion to each score that makes it live and sing within its own destiny.

Leonard Bernstein, one of Jekowsky's conducting mentors, was often criticized for being overwrought, too personal, too self-possessed, when he conducted - particularly the music of others. For the most part those criticisms weren't off base, but what fabulous readings his extraordinary involvements and passions made.

As a Bernstein protege who's very much his own person, Jekowsky combines passion with measured reason and an always exquisite sense of line. The result on Tuesday night? A combustible, yet controlled evening of performances, including Bernstein's "Chichester Psalms," that swept both the music and the capacity audience into the stratosphere of rapture.

Under Jekowsky's doting ear, the Bernstein had sentiment without cloying sentimentality. The rock 'em, sock 'em percussion, along with smooth-as-silk strings in a controlled sensuality just beneath the surface of the lovely 23rd Psalm melody, made for a noble rendering that was at once haunting and exciting. The plaintive boy-soprano sound 13-year-old Brian Gundell produces so beautifully, made for an ethereal contrast in Bernstein's writing that's rarely so gorgeously shaped and molded. Another plus, the UNR Choral Union produced one of its most radiant sounds and finest performances.

There was never a feeling of undue haste in the Bernstein, nor a lack of weight when called for. The natural momentum and clarity Jekowsky achieved was in keeping with the unique character of the work. The clarity, especially, illumined the Bernstein's lush orchestral and choral colorations without any hint of blurring.

If Jekowsky embarked on a complete Beethoven symphony cycle, this initial installment, the First Symphony, would bode well for what might follow. The "First" got an elegantly classical reading, but it was classicism with muscle and lots of twists and turns. We knew what to expect, but were often surprised by the directions Jekowsky's droll approach took. The trio of the minuetto was a model of gracefully nuanced phrasing. Once past the introduction, the finale went by - to borrow a line from Mozart - "like oil."

Is there a grander concert finale than Mussorgsky's bigger-than-life "Pictures at an Exhibition"? Perhaps, but rarely more grand than Tuesday's audience got via a robust all-things-in-place performance. The vivid colors and vivacity unleashed in Ravel's orchestration of Mussorgsky's "Pictures" make it a showpiece for virtuoso conductors and virtuoso orchestras.

Trumpeter Larry Engstrom continues to be a wonder of symphonic trumpeting. In "The Old Castle," alto saxophonist Dallas Smith made the sax sound like a concert instrument rather than a pesky beaver making reeds out of cherry trees. And so it went, for terrific moments everywhere: The smooth velvetiness of the strings, the nervous chirpings so smartly managed by the woodwinds (albeit, with some fleeting bouts of out-of-sorts intonation), the brilliance of the brasses without being overbearing and the solid rhythmic intricacies of the percussion, all gave "Pictures" the snap, sizzle and exhilarating sound and sweep of a major orchestra.

But most of all there was Jekowsky wringing emotion from every page, demanding the best and getting the best - a tastefully monumental reading of an infectiously monumental score.

Bravissimo!

For information regarding future performances of the Reno Philharmonic, including next season's subscription series, call 775 323 6393.