Two Saturdays ago, the New York Philharmonic ended its regular season with the complex and profound Symphony No. 7 of Mahler. Last Thursday, they began their summer season in a much lighter vein. On this program were two composers: Liszt and Strauss. And that Strauss would not be Richard but Johann the Younger.

On the podium was Bramwell Tovey, the Englishman who conducts the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. I always refer to him as “your genial host,”because he talks so well between numbers. (“Numbers”!) He is knowledgeable and charming. He also happens to be a competent conductor.

The orchestra was white-jacketed, and there was a large, pretty painting of flowers at the back of the stage. You may be interested to know, too, that almost all the first-chair players were in their places. This was not a substitute orchestra, a semi-Philharmonic, in any sense.

Mr. Tovey et al. began their program with one of Strauss’s most endearing pieces: the Overture to “Die Fledermaus.” In general, Mr. Tovey imparted a fine spirit and lilt. But some of the playing was slightly heavy and bangy. Also, Mr. Tovey got far too cute with tempo — with slowings and speedings (mainly slowings).

The principal oboist, Liang Wang, handled his solos nicely. I sometimes wish, however, there were more pliancy in his sound.

Then from the wings came a pianist to play Liszt’s Concerto No.1in E flat. Wearing a long ponytail and a red cummerbund, he was Markus Groh, a German who seems to specialize in Liszt. He played the concerto strongly, solidly. He has plenty of technique, although he was occasionally a little tight.

Broadly speaking, he was more deliberate than stylish, more earnest than imaginative. This was what you might call quite Germanic Liszt (if you’ll pardon what may seem an ethnic slur). But Mr. Groh got the job done.

So did the orchestra, although it parted from the pianist a bit toward the end of the piece (or did he part from them?). The low brass were rich and powerful; the triangle player was apt.

Beginning the second half of the program was the Liszt tone poem called “Les Préludes.” Some of us consider this a bombastic, blowzy piece that is almost irredeemable; others consider it a flat-out masterpiece. I wish I could see the point of view of this latter camp.

And I would hazard that Liszt did not put his best compositional foot forward, on this program — what with the E-flat piano concerto and “Les Préludes.” Indeed, if you knew nothing else about the two composers, you might conclude that Johann Strauss was the greater.

In any event, Mr. Tovey and the New York Philharmonic performed “Les Préludes” well: with proficiency, reason, and heart. If you didn’t care for the piece, it was not the fault of the orchestra. Among the soloists, hornist Philip Myers was outstanding, floating some beautiful notes.

To send us home were two popular Strauss pieces, the first of which was “On the Beautiful Blue Danube” (speaking of beautiful). Isn’t that a superb piece? It is almost unhackneyable. (Same with the “Fledermaus” overture.) Mr. Tovey & Co. accorded this king of waltzes true style. Then we had a polka, “Under Thunder and Lightning” — which they conveyed with splendid Viennese pep.

But we were not yet through: The performers offered an encore, and it was again Strauss — but not Johann the Younger. Johann the Elder. And it was one of his all-time hits: the Radetzsky March. In my opinion, this was the best playing the orchestra did all night long, so precise and stirring. Yet it was sometimes tough to hear them: The audience was clapping in time.