Alex Ross on Esa-Pekka Salonen

"Salonen turned the Los Angeles Philharmonic into the most intellectually lively orchestra in America. … Salonen arrived with the conviction that twentieth-century and contemporary fare might not only cease to be an obstacle but even become a draw. … On April 7th, he presented a concert in the orchestra’s long-running new-music series, 'Green Umbrella,' which … has grown from a sparsely attended specialty offering to a mainstream attraction. … At a Philharmonic concert two nights later, Salonen offered a big new work of his own: the Violin Concerto, written for the fearless young virtuoso Leila Josefowicz. When Salonen announced that he was giving up the Los Angeles job, he said that he wanted to devote more time to composing, and the strength of his latest pieces suggests that he has not made a foolish choice. (His other conducting gig, at the Philharmonia Orchestra, in London, takes less of his time.) Salonen the composer is more openly expressive than Salonen the conductor; on a new Deutsche Grammophon recording, you can hear his Piano Concerto, which rivals the Romantic showpieces of yesteryear in its brash gestures and lush textures" ("Adieu," New Yorker, 5/4/09).