If you want to take the pulse of contemporary orchestral composition, the New York Philharmonic, which mostly offers settled repertory for musically conservative listeners, has not typically been the place to look, Alan Gilbert’s efforts to improve things notwithstanding. Recent weeks, though, have brought a few substantial new works to the orchestra’s programs, among them colorful scores by Thomas Adès and John Adams, and a tone poem by Esa-Pekka Salonen.

What all three works show is a surprising reconciliation of contemporary...