Performer: Steven Beck

As part of the New York Philharmonic’s CONTACT new music series at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, Esa-Pekka Salonen drew connections among Olivier Messiaen, two of his students (Pierre Boulez and George Benjamin) and one outlier (Oliver Knussen).

The “Masterworks Series” at Bargemusic, featuring such diverse composers as Bach, Stephen Foster, Tan Dun and Gunther Schuller, gave audiences a welcome break from the oppressive New York humidity Sunday afternoon.

Unusual scenes at the New York Philharmonic this past weekend: a ballerina flouncing across the stage; conductor Alan Gilbert lugging a life-size puppet down the aisle amid rows of laughing, bewildered audience members; black-and-white video projections of the orchestra musicians sipping tea.