The night belonged to longtime Colorado Symphony cellist Jurgen de Lemos.

But Sergei Prokofiev came in a close second.

Even though de Lemos will remain in the first chair of the CSO’s fine cello section through the remainder of this season, Friday’s concert in Boettcher Hall became a celebration of his 40 years with the orchestra.

With the recent announcement of de Lemos’ impending retirement, the cellist and music director Jeffrey Kahane decided to substitute Bloch’s soulful Schelomo for the previously announced (and hardly missed) Etudes-Tableaux of Rachmaninoff.

The Bloch proved an ideal choice, since it vividly displays de Lemos’ full-bodied tone and keen sense of phrasing. There is a conversational, almost introspective quality to the solo part, as it traces the story of King Solomon – and here, the cellist successfully communicated the triumphs and eventual emptiness of a great man’s life.

Those sumptuous low notes emerged with conviction and spot-on intonation, as de Lemos dug deep into his instrument. This is not a virtuosic display piece in the traditional sense, but it demands a sensitivity to the score’s episodic elements and a solid control of pacing. Thanks to Kahane’s obvious commitment to this “Hebraic Rhapsody,” the performance proved a moving experience – and a fine way to spotlight one of the CSO’s longtime stars.

The lengthy standing ovation that followed seemed heart-felt, inspiring de Lemos to offer the two Bourees from Bach’s C-major solo Suite in encore.

Bach showed up earlier in the evening, as Kahane was keyboard soloist in the D-major Concerto (better known as the E-major Violin Concerto). Just as he did as conductor in Hilary Hahn’s Deutsche Grammophon recording of the violin version, Kahane pushed the tempos near the breaking point, displaying dazzling technique at the piano, but missing the dance-like quality of the outer movements and the intense sadness of the Adagio.

But he made up for it in a thrilling performance of Prokofiev’s rockin’-and-rollin’ Symphony No. 5. Ever the animated figure on the podium, Kahane drove the CSO players through this colorful, rhythmically charged piece, hitting his stride in the diabolical run-away train that is the second movement. This is a twisting-turning work, yet the conductor never let things get out of hand. In response to his excited leadership, the CSO played brilliantly, particularly the winds and brass – though the strings and percussion weren’t too shabby either.

The program will be repeated at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Information: 303-623-7876.