It was composed in January 2000 and was first performed in Concertgebouw, Amsterdam on April 26, 2000, by the Asko ensemble under the conductor Oliver Knussen.
Carter briefly described the piece in the score program notes, writing:My Asko Concerto for sixteen players features each one of them participating in one of the following groups—two trios, two duos, a quintet or a solo.
Ritornello sections for the entire ensemble, initiated with slicing chords and driving rhythms, are alternated with flightier episodes for diverse groups of soloists, where, say, the bass clarinet, trombone and cello engage in some every-which-way busyness.
[2]Andrew Clements of The Guardian similarly opined, "In the Asko Concerto [... Carter's] instrumental webs move into the spotlight in a series of interlinked short movements in which every proportion is perfect.
"[3] Arnold Whittall of Gramophone also lauded the piece, writing, "... Carter provides a typically resourceful 12-minute structure in which the 16-strong ensemble is variously subdivided to engage in a succession of trenchant dialogues and mercurial exchanges.