[1] City Scape is a piece in three movements that paints an image of where Higdon grew up in Atlanta, Georgia: "Skyline", "River Sings a Song to Trees", and "Peachtree Street".
This movement is reminiscent of the styles from Aaron Copland, William Schuman and Samuel Barber in terms of urban soundscape.
This large finale brings the piece to a close as she ties the orchestral tones into one larger voice at the end.
Her piece received positive criticism from local and national newspaper alike: "'SkyLine' is a lively, inventive concert opener by Jennifer Higdon... she really knows how to write idiomatically for a large orchestra-to make the instruments really sound.
Spano gave a dynamic, beautifully detailed reading to this masterful vignette" as stated by The Coral Gables Gazette.
[4] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution characterized the piece as "jaunty, propulsive optimism" and that the movement "ends with cresting excitement".