The Charleston Symphony Orchestra's Masterworks concert Saturday night proved again that they are a committed and virtuoso group under music director David Stahl.

Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74, "Pathetique," is an emotional roller coaster of a piece.

While its exact program is unknown, because the composer refused to reveal it, Stahl and the orchestra re-created its intense feelings and conflict. The various sections of the orchestra delivered splendid contributions, and there was some brilliant solo work.

It is doubtful that many other conductors or orchestras could achieve the level of execution and ensemble heard at the nearly full Gaillard Auditorium.

American pianist Jeffrey Biegel delivered a piano colossus — Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30.

Biegel demonstrated his extraordinary dexterity, with fingers flying in a blur during the more thrilling passages, and his musical sensitivity to Rachmaninoff's poetic state of mind in the more nostalgic sections.

Stahl and the orchestra provided Rachmaninoff's wonderfully colorful orchestral backdrop with enthusiasm and dash.

A standing ovation explained it all, with Biegel offering a brief encore by American composer and pianist Abram Chasins.