Man cannot live by orchestral music alone, as members of the New York Philharmonic well know. Some of them are privileged to give chamber concerts together, as 11 players did on Sunday afternoon at the 92nd St. Y. They had with them a starry guest, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, one of the best pianists in the world. This concert met very high standards.

Leading it off was a Haydn trio, that in C major, Hob. XV: 27. This is virtually a mini-piano concerto, and Mr. Thibaudet made the most of it. He was crisp, merry, precise. The whole piece was covered with a felicity – also with the pianist’s tastefulness. What is it about Frenchmen and their Classical playing? What did Casadesus bring to Haydn and Mozart? But that is a subject for another day.

In the Andante, Mr. Thibaudet sang and sighed beautifully. And in the Finale (Presto), he was impish, sparkling. Mr. Thibaudet has the unusual talent of playing aggressively and lyrically at the same time. His Haydn was bold, but not the least rude.

I have not mentioned the other two players, the violinist Sheryl Staples and the cellist Qiang Tu. But if you had heard Mr. Thibaudet, you would forgive me. This work, as I mentioned, is primarily a pianist’s vehicle. But the string players were excellent, and all three were in coordination. I would say they played like clockwork, but those words are too mechanical for a performance so musical.

Following the Haydn was perhaps the world’s favorite piece for winds and piano. This was Poulenc’s Sextet, and the Philharmonic provided Robert Langevin, flute; Joseph Robinson, oboe; Judith LeClair, bassoon; Philip Myers, horn; and Mark Nuccio, clarinet. All are first-desk players in the orchestra, except for Mr. Nuccio, who is associate principal.

Poulenc’s opening movement – Allegro vivace – was focused and gay, with all involved knowing their parts. Some passages could have been more slinky and sly, but it was hard to argue with these six. Ms. LeClair rendered her solo beautifully. Mr. Nuccio was jaunty on his clarinet, and Mr. Myers was manful on the horn. Mr. Langevin contributed several nice flute passages, including one that shivered. Mr. Robinson is retiring from the orchestra, claiming he’s past it – but every oboist should be so past it.

As for the pianist, you could not find a better one, if you’re going to perform the Poulenc Sextet, or much else.

The middle movement, Divertissement, had its off-kilter magic, and the Finale was frenetic, but controlled. The final pages built admirably. This was solid, smart playing.

After intermission, five wind players – but an altered five – took the stage to perform Six Bagatelles by Gyorgy Ligeti. The oboist was Sherry Sylar, the horn player Erik Ralske. The bagatelles come from the 11 piano pieces grouped as “Musica ricercata”; Mr. Ligeti arranged six of them for wind quintet shortly after completing the set. Coincidentally, the pianist Andre Watts played some of “Musica ricercata” in his recent recital at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The bagatelles, like their unarranged companions, are brief and well crafted, each one making a point, or at least putting over some feeling. The Philharmonic’s quintet played them niftily, reflecting the moods the composer has indicated: Allegro con spirito; Rubato lamentoso; Presto ruvido (that last word means “coarse”). Technically, the five had no problem. And it sounded like they had practiced quite a bit together; if they did not, they should keep it secret. After they were finished, the players smiled broadly, as they had every right to do.(In addition, the Ligeti pieces are simply smile-making.)

To close the program was a work that pops up every now and then, but that the public should know better. It is a winner of a chamber piece, Dohnanyi’s Sextet in C, Op. 37. Instruments called for are the violin, the viola, the cello, the clarinet, the horn, and the piano. Rebecca Young provided the viola, and Mr. Myers returned with his horn. Playing clarinet was the Philharmonic’s longtime principal, Stanley Drucker.

The first movement – Allegro appassionato – is churning and Brahmsian, its piano part none too easy: but Mr. Thibaudet, predictably, made it look like child’s play. All six performers were alert to the score’s demands. Mr. Drucker may not give you beauty of sound, but he compensates you in technical adeptness and musical savvy. At the beginning of the second movement – Intermezzo: Adagio – the strings make up a little choir, and then the horn and the clarinet pair up. Every Dohnanyi move was effective. Mr. Drucker opened the third movement (Allegro con sentimento) with a characterful melody, and the music soon became fast and furious. The six threatened to derail, but everyone managed to hang on.

And the Finale – Allegro vivace, giocoso – couldn’t have been happier. It was hard to keep still, if you were an audience member. Mr. Thibaudet played like some mad, musical peasant, and the others followed suit. Then, somewhat crazily, we were in a Viennese ballroom, and then we were treated to yet more tricks, and finally we were home, sort of out of breath.

As before, the players smiled broadly, and you had to smile with them. Chamber-music concerts are sometimes thought to be staid, decorous affairs (and sometimes they are). But this one was a hoot – and excellent, too.