For its season finale, the Colorado Springs Philharmonic went big.

Before the end of the evening, the Pikes Peak Center stage was packed with orchestral players. Even the modestly scored Beethoven “Emperor Concerto,” which opened the program, had a feel of magnificence. This was in large part due to piano soloist William Wolfram.

After the opening flourishes, conductor Josep Caballe-Domenech chose an especially fast tempo. It seemed to catch the orchestra off guard. This is when a seasoned pro like Wolfram earns his fee.

Through his decades of performances with the Colorado College Summer Music Festival and numerous guest performances with this orchestra, the New York-based pianist repeatedly has endeared himself to audiences. Wolfram’s tall, athletic frame correctly suggests that he can produce an immense sound from the keyboard but belies the fact that he also captures the detail and subtle beauty inherent in piano masterpieces.

So it was in this performance. The pianist slowed and centered the music, proving to be a master of Beethoven’s ever-changing moods. With orchestra in tow, he used daring dynamic contrasts to assure the architecture of the first movement shone through.

While Caballe-Domenech and his band tried to set the right mood in the following Adagio, it was once again the musical wisdom of Wolfram that brought the sound to its humble bearing through a patient song-like “bel canto” approach. With everyone on the same page, the finale was a joyous celebration topped off by a final flourish from Wolfram that reminded me of the virtuosity of the great Vladimir Horowitz.

Now it was time to blow the roof off the concert hall.

To realize Richard Strauss’ 50-minute tone poem “An Alpine Symphony,” orchestras augment their forces to as many as 130 players. Based upon the modest size of its strings, the philharmonic added 19 musicians to a total of 95.

The lower brass was riveting, thanks especially to Charlie Ortega’s tuba and Jeremy Van Hoy’s bass trombone. The horn section, augmented from its standard four to a dozen, added impressive depth and color to the proceedings. Acting section principal Michael Yopp rolled out his solos with beauty and grace. The trumpets were brilliant, percussionists stunning and winds impressive portraying the varied color and minutia that Strauss asked of them. Special note should be made of the flawless playing of principal clarinetist Sergei Vassiliev and the sublime floating imagery produced by principal oboe Guy Dutra-Silveria who is stepping down from the orchestra after 32 years in this position.

Almost as stunning as the music was the leadership of Caballe-Domenech who held this piece together through his shear force of will and clarity of gestures. In lesser hands, this could have been an arduous listening experience. On this night, the music ascended and transcended.

Next: July 4 – “Summer Symphony 2014,” 7:30 p.m., Memorial Park for the Colorado Springs Independence Day Celebration, freeJuly 12 – “Rewind: Music of the 80s,” 7:30 p.m., Bear Creek Regional Park, freecsphilharmonic.org