The crisis which has dogged the Brighton Philharmonic over the past 12 months shows no sign of abating as we enter the new year.

Judith Clark was listed as general manager on the programme notes for the orchestra’s first concert of 2014 but a note on its website alerted aficionados to the fact she has stepped down to pursue “independent consultancy projects”.

A statement from a spokeswoman for the orchestra raised more questions than it answered: “At present we are reviewing the staffing requirements and structure of the BPO organisation. It is unlikely that Judith’s role will exist exactly as it had previously but will be defined with all other roles. No replacement will be made during this financial year.”

At  Sunday’s performance the orchestra’s musical director, Barry Wordsworth, pleaded with the audience for more sponsorship money. Nimbly manoeuvring around the stage hands who were installing the grand piano, he asked for donations of £500 to £10,000.

Perhaps the air of uncertainty had infected the musicians. The performance of Dvorak’s New World Symphony lacked energy, as if everyone was struggling to cast off the festive lethargy and get back into shape.

The conductor, the orchestra and the audience seemed to be going through the motions for this all-too-familiar work. Like the voice of a much-loved but rather predictable friend, perhaps it would benefit from a period of silence.

At least guest pianist Andrejs Osokins performed with gusto on Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 6. The title of the piece is a misnomer – it is an arrangement of his violin concerto.

Beethoven’s unfinished piano concerto allows plenty of scope for the orchestra and soloist to fill in the gaps, and Osokins relished the opportunity, racing across the scales with vertiginous glee. At times he sacrificed clarity for pyrotechnics but the overall affect was bracing.

The programme for the rest of the season contains few surprises – but Copland’s Appalachian Spring should spark more life into all concerned.