The work was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
[1][2][3] A Symphony of Three Orchestras has a duration of roughly 17 minutes and is composed in a single movement.
The second ensemble comprises two clarinets (doubling bass clarinet), E-flat clarinet, 2 percussionists (playing vibraphone, chimes, xylophone, marimba, long drum or tabor, and floor tom), piano and strings (2 desks of violins, 2-3 desks of cellos, and one desk of basses).
The cellist Fred Sherry (who performed the first recording of Carter's Cello Concerto) described A Symphony of Three Orchestras as one of three Carter pieces he would "recommend to every music lover," including his Concerto for Orchestra and Symphonia: sum fluxae pretium spei.
[4] The music critic Tim Page of The Washington Post wrote, "It makes its strongest impression in concert, where one may listen to each ensemble playing its own allotted music, then combining with the other ensembles to create a cumulative whole.