Most of the big US orchestras are facing upheaval of one sort or another these days. With Esa-Pekka Salonen en route to London, Gustavo Dudamel promises to set hearts aflutter in Los Angeles. Franz Welser-Möst continues his dangerously controversial run with the Cleveland Orchestra, and uncertainty clouds the changing of the guard in Philadelphia. For better or worse, Christoph Eschenbach is descending on Washington.

Meanwhile, some New Yorkers are showing signs of baton-envy. Chicago has snagged the vaunted, venerable Riccardo Muti, while, starting next season, the New York Philharmonic settles for a relative neophyte, Alan Gilbert. At 41, his primary credential involves eight years in Stockholm.