Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times described it as "haunting," writing, "At the opening, the solo clarinet plays breathy, staggered phrases, soon joined by quizzical stirrings in the orchestra.
The music unfolds in fits and starts, with the clarinet breaking loose like some avant-garde jazz improviser, and the orchestra erupting in dense chords that sound like drive-by whooshes.
He added, "This sort of game, where soloist and orchestra swap roles, and often you can't tell where a sound is coming from, is regularly played by modern composers.
At times the music developed a threatening force, but just as it was about to explode, an unexpected calm descended – which made the violence more inexplicable, and more scary.
He added, "Compared with some of Chin's other concertos, such as the outstanding work for cello that she composed six years ago for Alban Gerhardt, there's little dialogue between the solo instrument and the orchestra, which plays a much more subdued and conventional background role than it usually does in her music.