Everyone has a bad day at the office now and then, but for those whose workplace is in front of fans or audience members, it's harder to hide it.

Such was the case last night at Heinz Hall, when concertmaster Andres Cardenes never quite got on track in Lalo's "Symphonie Espagnole" and then in a shocker, lost his place in the final movement. That required the conductor, Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, to ask the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra to restart it.

Although apologetic on stage, the culprit may have been Cardenes' violin, which gave him fits by going out of tune in every movement. It could also be that his famously full schedule may have caught up with him (he was reading his part from a music stand). But he played the work with the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic in New York's Carnegie Hall just last week with no reported problem.

Last night, however, Cardenes' phrasing was uneven and he never displayed the fiery nature of a work that showcases the violin more than most violin concertos.

But to be fair, extroverted playing has never been Cardenes' style, which is to be integrated with the score. I prefer a showy piece to be delivered as such, but there were moments in the Lalo, such as a sweetly played slow fourth movement, in which Cardenes hinted at a more reserved reading that would work. But for whatever reason, he had trouble bringing it all together.

Yet after so many good showings on that stage, he deserves the benefit of the doubt. Bad days happen to the best of us.

That drama won't erase the memory of a majestic performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 under Fruhbeck.

An oft-misunderstood work today because its brevity and light-hearted moments pale next to the mighty Ninth, Symphony No. 8 was in part Beethoven's homage to Haydn and other 18th century composers (despite the fact that he blew their style out of the water with his own works).

Fruhbeck captured the sunniness of the work from the outset, keeping the textures clear and light and almost rendering the first movement a chamber work. He cultivated a gorgeous elegance in the minuet, and horn players Stephen Kostyniak and Robert Lauver offered graceful playing in the trio. The tricky transition between themes in the finale was masterfully navigated.

Ravel's saccharine "Bolero" ended the program with its endless repeats -- held together admirably by Andrew Reamer on snare.