It’s hard to disassociate a piece of music from a moment to which it is assigned.

But many of our national songs have undergone a stretching process during the past two weeks of national crisis and have been transformed from hymns of pride to anthems of unexpectedly profound solidarity, promise and hope.

When the Bangor Symphony Orchestra performed its first concert of the classical season Sunday at the Maine Center for the Arts in Orono, the dedication of the event to those lost or experiencing loss as a result of recent terrorist attacks, followed by an emotional rendering of “The Star Spangled Banner,” could have easily set a precarious mood for the entire afternoon.

Instead, guest conductor Xiao-Lu Li mined the talents of the BSO to offer a concert that was both civically inspiring and musically focused. In fact, the romantic program, which included the prelude to Acts 1 and 3 of Verdi’s “La

Traviata” and Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet Overture” was a bit like having dessert for two hours without being overwhelmed by sweetness. That’s a credit to Li, whose facility with the romantic repertoire has been a lauded quality in his work at both the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra in Louisiana and Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, where he currently holds posts.

Of course, in addition to presenting fine music – which will be repeated Saturday in Rockport – Li’s laudable qualities are under scrutiny as he is the first of five finalists for the recently vacated position of music director and conductor of the BSO. Certainly, those in attendance Sunday found plenty to applaud in Li’s work with the BSO, particularly regarding the string section, which was charged with brightness.

What is sure to be mentioned as the highlight of Li’s official appearance onstage, however, is the precision and alacrity he demanded from the orchestra during Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. If there were any muddled moments, it was not the fault of the string section, which showed breadth and brawn at every note. The cellos and violas gave a stirring reading of the second movement, and principal timpanist Nancy Rowe Laite was smashing as she provided the heartbeat to this piece.

As an encore, Li, a violinist who trained in his native Shanghai, China, as well as in America, reappeared onstage with his instrument. He spoke of a close friend who had perished in one of the recent plane hijackings and about his own decision to become a U.S. citizen in 1998. As a memorial to his friend and as a paean to a country he loves, Li joined the orchestra, this time conducted delicately by assistant concertmaster Anatole Wieck, to tenderly perform Massenet’s “Meditation de Thais.” Although that was not the final note to be struck – Li and the spunky musicologist David Klocko led the audience in a rousing sing-along of “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless America” – it was, indeed, the most affecting.

In its entirety, this could not be called a challenging program for the audience. But it was a lovely, if not loving, postcard to both America and to some of the great melodic gifts of the Romantic era.

The Bangor Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Xiao-Lu Li will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, at Strom Auditorium at Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport. For information, call 942-5555.