CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio - Talk about 'Immortal Beloved.' When it comes to soloists with the Cleveland Orchestra, few live up to Beethoven's label for the ideal more than pianist Garrick Ohlsson.

Performing the composer's "Emperor" Piano Concerto No. 5 with guest conductor Gustavo Gimeno Saturday night, Ohlsson rekindled his bond with Northeast Ohio and reminded a full Blossom Music Center that when it comes to Beethoven, especially, he is a champion, and possibly our favorite.

So keen was Ohlsson's insight, so facile was his execution, one had the feeling Ohlsson could have played the "Emperor" in his sleep. And yet his performance was far from drowsy. Just the opposite, actually. His was a bold, vigorous reading, one that woke listeners to the score's full potential.

If there's one thing Ohlsson - a regular guest here since 1975 - can be counted on to provide, and provided in spades Saturday, it's an inimitable blend of sensitivity and raw strength. Underscoring the music's precipitous changes in mood, and seizing on its fundamental excitement, the pianist applied palpable weight to chords and luminous transparency to everything else. The difference there was thrilling.

Then came his finale. Taking on another new character, Ohlsson pranced through the Rondo with boundless sparkle and zest. He even brought off that rarest of feats: shock at the music's sudden beginning. No wonder he received an instant standing ovation.

But the real gem was his Adagio. An episode of bliss incarnate, his performance quieted every other concern. All that mattered throughout those moments was the music, as rendered with Ohlsson's distinctive brand of heavenly elegance. It would have made a welcome encore, had the pianist chosen to offer one.

Contrast Ohlsson, in terms of local experience, with Gimeno. Where the pianist has appeared in this region countless times, Saturday marked the conductor's Cleveland debut.

Alas, on this listener, the impression he made was not entirely favorable. In both of the two orchestral works he performed Saturday, the incoming principal conductor of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg took a leaden, cautious approach that often the sapped the music of its vitality.

Beethoven's "Leonore" Overture No. 2 boasted several virtues, including rhythmic buoyancy and nuanced dynamics. But the performance as a whole dragged, resulting in murky textures and sometimes wide imbalances. Happily, the night's other Beethoven suffered no such maladies.

Dvorak fared somewhat, though not entirely, better. In his Symphony No. 8, many more of Gimeno's gifts appeared, even as the same issues applied.

For greater spaciousness, for instance, attention to detail, or richer tone, none could have asked. Likewise, individuals shone in numerous solos, and when it came to whipping up a conclusion, Gimeno displayed a genuine knack.

All too often, though, these advantages came at the expense of overall shape, flexibility and momentum. Put another way, while Ohlsson's Beethoven resounded and will live on for a time, Gimeno's Dvorak remained mortal.