It was commissioned to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Los Angeles Philharmonic by philanthropist Betty Freeman—to whom the work is dedicated—and completed October 27, 1992.
Additionally, the piece contains quotes from Monteverdi's opera L'incoronazione di Poppea and William Schuman's song Orpheus with his Lute.
In the program note to the score, Rouse wrote:During the long gestation and composition of the concerto, the music world lost a number of significant creative figures, several of whom were personal friends.
Even more painful was the sudden death on my forty-third birthday of William Schuman, for almost thirty years a friend and mentor of incalculable importance in my life.
[1]Reviewing the world premiere, Edward Rothstein of The New York Times praised "marvelous effects" of Rouse's composition, despite noting its somber tone.