James Levine leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra with soloist and BSO principal hornist James Sommerville in the world premiere of Elliott Carter's Horn Concerto tonight at Boston's Symphony Hall.

Sommerville described the concerto, a 15-minute work in six sections, as "episodic" to Geoff Edgers of the The Boston Globe yesterday.

"It has a real cool kind of progression of characters, from an aggressive character to a joking character," he said. "There's some lyrical writing for the instrument, which is not what I think he's known for. What is characteristic of his style is this brilliant orchestration. He uses a ton of contrasts and sudden changes and very intricate rhythms."

Further performances at Symphony Hall take place tomorrow night, after Carter receives his second Horblit Award, and on November 16. A performance at Carnegie Hall is planned for next year, as well as the European premiere during a ZaterdagMatinйe concert at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam on January 19, 2008 with the Radio Kamer Filharmonie conducted by Peter Eцtvцs. (That concert will be broadcast, and webcast in streaming audio, live on Netherlands Radio 4, www.radio4.nl.)

Other works of Carter's being premiered this year include his opera, What Next?, which receives its first New York performance next month at the Miller Theatre in celebration of the composer's 99th birthday.

By Kevin Shihoten