NYPhil Rehearsal Brahms Symphony #2 and Bent Sorensen's World Premier Evening Land

Good news - bad news:  Good news, Emanual Ax was on the program to perform Mozart's Piano Concerto #20 (1785).  Bad news, his performance was scheduled after the intermission of the 1 1/2 hour rehearsal of Brahms & Sorensen's compositions.  Unfortunately,  I didn't stay to hear what I'm sure would have been one of the highlight performances for the year.  Nonetheless, Conductor Edo de Waart (b 1941 Netherlands) lead the orchestra in a majestical performance of Brahms Symphony #2 (1877).   Johannes Brahms composed 4 symphonies. All of them are unique in mood & timbre.  Symphony #2 has a joyful and pleasing quality played at mostly fast & steady tempo.  It has a pastoral, serene quality.  Conductor Waart stopped the orchestra only a few times, but with each break, Waart had the orchestra replay the same measures repeatedly.  It sounded as if he was bringing out the string section in the Allegretto con grazioso but then, I don't know so.  I did like hearing the premiere of Bent Sorensen's (b Denmark 1958) Evening Land (2015-17).  The piece was commissioned by the NYPhilharmonic.  Someone got my memo, and the order of the program for the rehearsals was announced.  However, today was a no brainer, no piano, no Ax to grind or tinkle the ivories.  Brahms orchestral piece was played first (easy call) followed by Evening Land.  What I found interesting in addition to being privy to a premiere was the juxtaposition of Brahms' piece & Sorensen's.  Evening Land sounded somewhat as if Brahms's 2nd Symphony was restructured for the 21st C with an edgier and more expansive musical phrasing.  Sorensen's instrumentation was similar to Brahms in his use of strings and horns but he added claves, paper blocks and filled the harmonic blends with timpani, bass & log drum.  The rising crescendos evoked a richer, more ominous & mysterious sense.  Yet, Sorensen's classical construct felt built upon Brahms.  Brahms 2 later symphonies shifted towards a more exhilirating & sombre ambience.