For the past several months, the pianist Richard Goode has been engaged in a series dubbed “Richard Goode: Among Friends.” He had two friends with him on Sunday night at Zankel Hall. These were a young, untested mezzo-soprano, and an established tenor.The program was mainly a vocal one – but Mr. Goode was also his own friend, playing one of the greatest piano works ever written.

The evening began with the mezzosoprano, Tamara Mumford, from Utah, a masters student at Yale.She sang four songs of Schubert. Three of them were extremely well-known, and one was a relative rarity (which was nice).

As perhaps befits a young singer, she led off with “Die junge Nonne” (“The Young Nun”). She was not quite ready for it, or for the concert. She was hesitant, uncertain, and she faltered on many notes. Some were sharp, some were flat. Also, there was a fuzz on her voice that didn’t belong. But she sang the nun’s utterings of “Alleluja” – at the end of the song – beautifully.

Ms. Mumford gained some confidence as the set progressed.The second song was “Auf dem Wasser zu singen,” and the third was the relative rarity: “Dass sie hier gewesen.” (Text by Ruckert, no less!) Ms. Mumford concluded with “Auflosung,” and here the voice needed much more body, and the singing needed much more release. But Ms. Mumford showed an attractive lower register, and she would sing infinitely better later in the program.

I might mention that, as she sang the Schubert, Ms. Mumford looked pretty as a picture, in a fairy-princess dress (lavender). For better or worse, these things matter in the music biz, where singers are concerned.

Mr. Goode – not in a fairy-princess dress – accompanied boldly and authoritatively. And these accompaniments provided a good warm-up for what he would do next: play Schubert’s Sonata in B flat, Op. posth. Pianists play this work constantly – at least in New York – but it’s so magnificent, you can hardly blame them.

Mr. Goode is a bankable commodity: Whenever he appears, he gives you clarity, simplicity, balance. He is one of the great Haydn players of our time, and he brought some of those qualities to this immortal Schubert: sparkle, grace, a little wit. The third movement – the Scherzo – was amazingly crisp and winsome.

The second movement – Andante sostenuto – had been impressive, too. It was obedient to its rhythm, and its Amajor section had appropriate breadth and warmth.

One could have appreciated that Mr. Goode did not try to make too much of this sonata.That is, he was not self-consciously profound, he never emoted. But this performance could be faulted for some blandness – for a containment that bordered on dullness, or indifference.

And Mr. Goode did not have a successful fourth movement at all. He rushed a bit – very unusual for him – and committed some technical bobbles (which were no big deal, but somewhat surprising).

One must say – I must say – that Mr. Goode sings much better with his fingers than he does with his mouth. He didn’t help himself, or Schubert, by the wrong kind of singing. Even worse was his foot stomping – the stomping of the floor with his left foot. The first time, I thought it might have been an accident. The second time, it was a crime.

And would you like a really odd note? The piano was out of tune – particularly a high F (which was flat). I have criticized many singers, violinists, and others for poor intonation; I don’t believe I have ever criticized a piano. (A tuner attacked it at intermission.)

The second half of the program was devoted to a song cycle – or miniopera – Janacek’s “Diary of One Who Disappeared.” It’s about a farm boy who runs off with a Gypsy (having first had a child with her, in the woods). This cycle is basically for a tenor – the farm boy – but it also calls for a mezzo (the Gypsy). Tenors have enjoyed singing this piece since Janacek wrote it during the First World War. But it got a shot in the arm about five years ago when Ian Bostridge recorded it, with the pianist Thomas Ades, for EMI.

The tenor on Sunday night was Matthew Polenzani, he of that extraordinary voice: sweet, lyrical, gorgeous. That voice was very much itself on this occasion. And Mr. Polenzani sang intelligently and powerfully. Like all critics – at least in this city – I have heard him in many types of music, and I have never heard him better – more beautiful or more convincing – than in the Janacek.

Tamara Mumford, of course, was the Gypsy. And she was not only in a different outfit, she was a different singer. Gone was any hesitation or awkwardness. She was all assurance, a smoky Gypsy siren.

The two singers did a little acting onstage, and I found this slightly discomforting – but it was perfectly acceptable, and I would guess that most found it an enhancement.

Mr. Goode played the piano part – not at all inconsequential – with color and command.

And I might mention that it’s good to hear so many singers – all over – singing so much music in Czech. Time was, they sang their Czech songs – particularly Dvorak – in German. Now you’re a punk if you don’t go Slavic.