The Bangor Symphony Orchestra’s opening concert for its 112th season on Sunday at the Bangor Auditorium was, in many ways, the musical equivalent of comfort food. A warm, convivial atmosphere pervaded the afternoon, as the BSO made its way through a program of popular favorites, Ravel’s “Bolero” and two lesser-known compositions from Tchaikovsky and Schubert.

The source of much of that warmth was the fact that Bernard “Billy” Miller, percussionist for the BSO, was honored that day for his 50 years of service, support and love for the symphony. After opening remarks from outgoing BSO executive director Susan Jonason, Maestro Xiao-Lu Li bounded onstage and kicked off the concert with an unannounced rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

A specially commissioned piece by former Bangor Symphony Orchestra music director and composer Peter Re came afterward. “Lodate il Tamburino” was created with Miller in mind, highlighting his commitment to his Jewish faith and his love of music. Starting with a rousing brass fanfare, the piece moved through several variations on a simple, evocative melody played by the oboe. The melody is used often in synagogue services as an accompaniment to the reading of the 150th Psalm.

After an alternately spirited and foreboding take on Franz Schubert’s “Rosamunde: Overture, D.644,” Li took the orchestra through a medley of songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music.” Though it walked a very fine line between sentimentality and theatrical fun, it was definitely a crowd-pleaser, as several audience members silently mouthed the words to “My Favorite Things” and “Edelweiss.”

The centerpiece of the concert, however, was two very different pieces. The difficult, infrequently played “Cappricio Italien, op. 45” by Tchaikovsky was performed admirably by the orchestra, keeping the drawn-out, melancholy introduction and early theme at a certain level of intensity before giving way to a delightful, folk-inspired passage and an exhilarating march.

It was Ravel’s “Bolero” that placed an exclamation point on the evening. The French composer’s most well-known work is all about sustained tension, beginning with the solitary, martial snare drum played by the indefatigable percussionist Cindy Brooks-Bastide, who kept the tempo at an astonishingly even pace. Li, in his remarks before the performance, imagined the piece as a conversation between different characters, and indeed, “Bolero” resembles a dialogue between each instrument, building it bit by bit until the pressure is almost agonizingly high.

When the string section goes from plucking a rhythm to joining into the melody, you breathe a sigh of relief. By the last few repetitions of the melody, you’re once again on the edge of your seat. The BSO gave a riveting, energetic performance that echoed up far into the army green rafters of the Bangor Auditorium – which, despite being essentially a large gymnasium, was surprisingly accommodating, acoustically speaking.