A symphonic orchestra looks to the conductor for direction. For a chamber orchestra like the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, which performs without a conductor, musicians must rely on each other.

Performing without a leader at the podium is obviously a challenge. Thankfully, Orpheus manages to deliver most of the time. The group plays, thinks, and even breathes as one entity. Were it not for their resonant, hall-filling sound, one could easily think that the group were performing with only one instrument to each part.

In an era when musicians become less involved in crafting the collective orchestral voice, Orpheus’ spirit of collaboration lives strong. For each piece that Orpheus performs, a select group of musicians known as the core—usually comprised of one musician from each section—meets to discuss their ideas about rehearsal direction, interpretation, and style. What results is a carefully thought-out presentation that involves the performers every step of the way.

In the first concert of the season on Oct. 16 at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, the group unveiled a program that offered a glimpse of what the upcoming year has in store. The evening opened with a sprightly—if only just a tad hurried—rendering of Haydn’s Symphony No. 59, “Fire,” complete with crisply articulated strings in the style of the period and impressively bright timbres from the horns.

Paul Moravec’s “Brandenburg Gates,” the third work commissioned by Orpheus for its New Brandenburg series, followed. The Pulitzer-winning composer acknowledges the importance of Bach in his music, and it is immediately evident that the note motif spelling his name—B, A, C, and H, represented by B-flat—runs rampant throughout the work. The structure of the piece draws influences from Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto No. 2” as well. In concerto grosso style, it features four soloists—Susan Palma-Nidel on flute, Alan Kay on clarinet, Louis Hanzlik on trumpet, and Renée Jolles on violin—who maintain a lively, engaging dialogue with each other and the orchestra.

In the performance, the orchestra demonstrated remarkable flexibility in its ability to move with ease between styles, performance techniques, and energy levels. At once driven, lyrical, daring, and whimsical, this piece took elements from music of different backgrounds and infused them with explosive energy.

Jacque Ibert’s “Hommage à Mozart,” a brief piece slightly reminiscent of Mozart’s opera overtures, served its purposes as prelude to the highlight of the evening: Saint-Saëns’ “Piano Concerto No. 2” with Jean-Yves Thibaudet.

At the piano, Thibaudet is self-assured, poised, and graceful. He is audacious and forceful if he needs to be, but his playing is completely organic. When he plays, Thibaudet appears to be an agent of the music as much as he is a performer—from his fingers seep a sighing lament, the murmur of impeccable trills.

Thibaudet was neither directing the orchestra from the piano, nor was he only a member of the group—this rather ambiguous nature of his presence might have contributed to the occasional uncertainty, on behalf of the other performers, over what to do and when. In many ways, this conductor-less approach breaks the soloist’s bubble and brings him out to the orchestra. For the most part that evening, it turned out well. It was only in moments when Thibaudet was intently waiting for the orchestra and counting out their beats with his arm—all while sustaining a chord—that it became uncertain whether his focus on the music was taken away by the logistics of the performance or not.

In spite of that, Thibaudet, who is widely considered one of the finest pianists of the day, delivered a truly spectacular performance with his trademark French charm. One could have only wished that he had made a few more appearances to acknowledge the enthusiastic audience before retiring backstage. But there is no cause for worry. For Orpheus—and Thibaudet as well—this is but the start to another great season.

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra’s 2008-2009 season at Carnegie Hall ends May 11, 2009. The next performance is Dec. 6. Tickets range from $29 to $98.