Mr. van Zweden’s guest appearances with the Philharmonic have produced exciting concerts. Critics at The New York Times have praised his “dynamic, all-out performance” of Mahler’s First Symphony (at his debut in 2012) and his “visceral, bristling” account of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 8. When he led the orchestra this fall in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 and Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Zachary Woolfe wrote in The Times that “conducting this imaginative and playing this varied don’t appear at Geffen Hall every week.”

While his vision for the Philharmonic is not yet clear, Mr. van Zweden is less associated with contemporary composers than Mr. Gilbert is, suggesting a possible shift of emphasis. Mr. Gilbert, who has led the orchestra since 2009, was praised for championing new pieces and making them central to his tenure, but drew criticism in some quarters for his work in Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms — the so-called standard repertory, of which Mr. van Zweden is known for delivering crackling performances.

But Mr. van Zweden said that he looked forward to playing more contemporary music at the Philharmonic, noting that in his days leading the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, he conducted world premieres every week or two. “It was a fantastic time, to work with composers who are still alive,” he said, adding that he enjoyed the ability to ask for their input on how pieces should be played. “It’s a luxury I think we should treasure as conductors, because, you know, you cannot go back to Mahler or to Beethoven or Mozart.”

Last month he conducted the premiere of Magnus Lindberg’s Second Violin Concerto with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and next season he will lead the New York Philharmonic in the New York premiere of a viola concerto by the young composer Julia Adolphe.

Mr. van Zweden will become the Philharmonic’s music director-designate in the 2017-18 season, and begin his five-year contract as music director in the 2018-19 season, which, if all goes according to plan, will be the Philharmonic’s last in Geffen Hall before construction begins. (Mr. van Zweden will be released a year early from his contract in Dallas, which was to have ended in 2019; his final season there will be 2017-18.)