“As he begins his second season as music director, Lorin Maazel, 73, and the New York Philharmonic’s board are grappling with some urgent issues. Naturally the proposed merger with Carnegie Hall has drawn most of the attention. But the more immediate question concerns Mr. Maazel’s future. If the merger happens as planned, the Philharmonic will relocate in the fall of 2006, by which time Mr. Maazel’s current four-year contract will have run out. Will he be reappointed? Or does the orchestra envision playing its first concert in its new home under a new conductor?”