As befits a season opener, Saturday night's New Bedford Symphony Orchestra concert began and ended with rousing fanfares: Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man," and the triumphant concluding motif of Peter Illyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 in E minor, opus 64.

In between those two noble works, returning virtuoso Jean-Efflam Bavouzet played not one, but two piano concerti with breathtaking gusto, elegance and flair: Frantz Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major and Maurice Ravel's Concerto in G Major.

Led by the highly accomplished, affable music director, Dr. David MacKenzie, the orchestra displayed a winning combination of youthful exuberance and mature artistry.

Scored for percussion and brass, Copland's brief but dramatic "Fanfare for the Common Man" begins with a thunderclap from the bass drum and tympani that made me think of Linda Loman's gut-wrenching plea for her salesman husband Willy: "Attention must be paid!" and the shaky trumpet entrances reminded me how shaky the economic safety net swinging under the Common Man/Woman still is today.

Tchaikovsky's alternately brooding, soaring fifth symphony began with a deeply sonorous string chorus featuring the orchestra's resonant cellos and a poignant solo by principal bassoonist Sally Merriman. In general, the woodwinds shone in this concert, but the first movement ended with a flawless flourish from the French horns and a nearly flawless solo by principal horn Shelagh Abate, whose tone was as smooth and sweet as honey. Dr. MacKenzie and the orchestra played the alternately dance-like, majestic and playful second and third movements of the symphony with such energy and conviction that the audience forgot the maestro's pre-performance request to hold their applause until the entire symphony was over.

In between those two works, the audience managed to hold its applause after each movement of the two concerti despite the excitement caused by pianist Bavouzet's breathtaking dash and dazzle. His Liszt was robust and lyrical, with finger work of such diabolical swiftness that during the Allegretto vivace/Allegro animato, his hands became a visual blur, though the notes remained crystal-clear. His interpretation was surprisingly fresh and playful, with none of the bombast many pianists inflict on this romantic showpiece. The brilliant finale brought delighted listeners to their feet to applaud Mr. Bavouzet as he shook hands and took his bows, smiling modestly. After a short pause, the exuberant Mr. Bavouzet returned to the Steinway to play the piano concerto that Maurice Ravel wrote for himself. Sadly, however, the brain disease that eventually killed the composer was so far advanced by 1931 that Ravel could only conduct, while his friend Marguerite Long gave the piece its world premiere.

Ravel's audacious Concerto in G shows the influence of the keyboard musings of Erik Satie, the syncopated rhythms of American jazz, and the rhapsodic lyricism of George Gershwin. It opens with the slap of a wood clapper from the percussion section, following by antiphonal glissandi that lead into a kind of dialogue between urban edginess and ethereal otherworldliness. After a second movement characterized by passages of sublime delicacy, Mr. Bavouzet launched into the Presto with such vigorous energy that the almost reckess acrobatics demanded by the conclusion of the piece nearly whirled him off the piano bench into another galaxy before he rose acknowledge our standing ovation with his usual Gallic charm and grace. It's no wonder concertgoers thronged to buy his two-CD recording of Ravel's complete piano works.

How fortunate we are to have the Zeiterion, I was thinking as I gazed at the restored theater's beautiful ceiling and walls before the pre-concert talk. How fortunate we are to have Dr. MacKenzie, I was thinking as I listened to his informative and engaging remarks about the music. His personable manner is bound to appeal to young people and the more diverse adult audience he hopes to reach. It's clear from his manner that teaching is one of his great loves.

For the past couple of years, flutist Timothy Macri and other members of the NBSO have taught master classes, and schoolchildren have attended open rehearsals at the Z. Saturday evening's audience included students and teachers from the Community Music Works in Providence, where Concertmaster Jesse Holstein teaches master classes, as well as music students from Old Rochester Regional High School, where guest artist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet taught a master class last week.

We who grew up with classical music and love it (along with other types of music) know that listening to Bach and Mozart develops a person's cognitive abilities, emotional intelligence and self-discipline, and we deplore recent cuts to music programs in the schools. My best students have always been young people who sing and play instruments in orchestras, choruses, jazz bands and chamber groups. Dr. MacKenzie's enthusiasm for teaching promises to expand the NBSO's outreach to the schools and the entire community. Has he thought of moving to New Bedford to start the community music school so many people would love to see right here?

A note to theater management: Please consider closing the bar while the orchestra is playing. It's an unwelcome distraction to have people going out for beverages and coming back during the performance. Many concertgoers would rather not sit next to people sipping sodas and alcoholic drinks, and people can bring in small bottles of water to sip without disturbing others. Instant gratification doesn't harmonize with the kind of dedication and hard work that produce an evening of great music.