"Never leave without playing your hit." So said country music legend Roy Acuff, and the same holds true for classical orchestras. No matter how devoted they might be to new music or seldom-heard fare, they generally slip in some hits to keep audiences happy.

Viewed through that lens, this weekend's St. Paul Chamber Orchestra concerts are bona fide crowd pleasers. Not only do they include one of the most popular pieces in the classical canon, Mozart's "Jupiter" symphony, but one of Beethoven's five piano concertos, each a star turn waiting to happen.

Friday's audience at Ordway Concert Hall got entertaining takes on those familiar works in a program that will be repeated at 2 p.m. Sunday at Bethel University's Benson Great Hall. Pianist Stewart Goodyear gave Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto all the intensity he could, while the conductor-less SPCO offered a satisfying if unsurprising interpretation of Mozart's final symphony.

There was also an intriguing premiere for those craving something outside the classical Top 40. "Fanfare for a Distant Friend," by Detroit-based composer William Lucas, seeks to evoke the conflict between the fatal urgency of COVID-19 upon its 2020 arrival and the indifference with which it was addressed in some quarters.

As a chorus of electronic trumpets emanated from an onstage speaker, SPCO principal trumpeter Lynn Erickson acted as a clarion Cassandra, repeating something like a bugle call of warning. It's a piece that may have borne more gravitas if there were an ensemble of live musicians onstage in place of the electronic simulation, and if it weren't over so quickly.

Canadian pianist Goodyear has always proven a consistently solid player on past visits. And there was plenty to like in his interpretation of Beethoven's Third Concerto, Even though it felt like it was on too tight a leash, both the volume and tempo too unvarying.

The SPCO musicians were supremely simpatico collaborators, the woodwinds finding the shadows lurking in the opening movement, the strings making a dark meditation of the ensuing Largo.

The coverless grand piano provided a sonic contrast by resonating brightly throughout the hall. But whenever Goodyear chose to soften his attack, it didn't last long. He seemed intent upon bringing forth the forceful, fist-shaking Beethoven, with the composer's wistful, playful spirit rarely making a cameo. That said, the pianist never gave a note short shrift, each swooping, swift flight up and down the keyboard impeccably clear.

Similarly, Mozart's 41st and final symphony suffered from a paucity of gentleness, the music too seldom given an opportunity to float and breathe. The woodwinds were again a standout, however, sensitively sculpting their lines on the slow movement and minuet.

Make no mistake: This concerto and symphony are unquestionably hits worth hearing. But while both were given technically unimpeachable performances, I never felt as if I got a glimpse into the heart of their composers.

Rob Hubbard is a Twin Cities classical music writer. wordhub@yahoo.com