Fill-ins delight Thursday CSO crowd

"Be prepared" is the motto of all assistant conductors of major orchestras. So when the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra had not one, but two conductors cancel for this weekend's concerts, the job fell to its 28-year-old assistant maestro, Eric Dudley.

Dudley stepped in to lead Thursday's performance on one day's notice and with just one rehearsal for a program that included Tchaikovsky's Symphony No.4. Compounding things, piano soloist Alexander Korsantia was also filling in on short notice for Boris Berezovsky, who canceled his entire U.S. tour for personal reasons.

It would be hard to find a more convincing replacement for Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.2 in C Minor than Korsantia, a native of Tbilisi, Georgia. The prize-winning pianist is on the faculty of the New England Conservatory and has a busy solo career.

From his first notes of the Rachmaninoff, we knew we were in for a treat. Here was an artist of depth and musicianship, who projected a refined touch, clarity and beauty of line. His use of rubato (give and take in the tempo) was liberal, sometimes causing the pulse to sag.

But the softer, lyrical themes had an intimate quality that was quite beautiful. Korsantia's arsenal included a spectacular technique, and he attacked the treacherous opening of the finale as cleanly as I've ever heard. His final cadenza came off like a rocket, for an exciting finish.

Too bad the collaboration with the orchestra was somewhat at odds: Tempos didn't always mesh and the pianist was overpowered. But there were admirable contributions from the orchestra, including the famous horn solo in the first movement (Elizabeth Freimuth) and the slow movement’s expressive flute and clarinet solos (Randolph Bowman and Jonathan Gunn).

When scheduled conductor Stéphane Denève canceled due to because of the imminent birth of his first child, conductor Elvind Gullberg Jensen was announced. The program was not changed after Jensen became ill this week, leaving "Tjat" (Chatter) by Norwegian composer Knut Vaage as a kind of orphan on the program.

Dudley adopted it wonderfully, making for a fresh, invigorating and humorous opener.

In Tchaikovsky's Fourth, which concluded concluding the evening, Dudley projected confidence, musicality and displayed fine technical form – yet it was an unfinished performance. The Fourth is rich with great, soulful Russian melodies, a work that combines emotion and beauty with electrifying, brass-filled climaxes.

It was carefully led and carefully played. What I missed were the elements of dramatic sweep and spontaneity – perhaps an unfair assessment given the circumstances. Yet Dudley was absolutely convincing in the last two movements, which allowed the brilliance of the orchestra to shine. The musicians responded to his direction with excellent playing and allowed him to take a bow alone.

The concert repeats at 8 p.m. today and Saturday in Music Hall. Tickets: 513-381-3300, www.cincinnatisymphony.org. What did you think? Rate and review this concert at cincinnati.com/entertainment.