Work: Symphony no. 2, "Le Double”

On paper this looked entrancing: a French conductor with Armenian roots assaying a score of oriental splendour. It was the first half, however, with Dutilleux and Debussy that satisfied more.

The riotous energy of carnival dazzled Symphony Hall as Alain Altinoglu debuted with the Boston Symphony in a program he assembled as a personal homage to Charles Munch.

Leading the Seattle Symphony in an all-French program, Ludovic Morlot takes subtle risks that pay off splendidly in one of the centrepiece events of a nationwide orchestral summit.