It was commissioned by the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Eastern Orchestral Board, with financial assistance from the Arts Council of England.
Håkan Hardenberger and John Wallace played the trumpet parts, with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Daniel Harding.
[1] Despite it being a double concerto, according to musicologist Nigel Simeone, Turnage uses "sombre and sinister colours" and the solo parts seem conceived "for a single instrument with two distinctive personalities".
The authoritative version was recorded by the musicians who premiered it on February 4, 1996, at Henry Wood Hall, London, being released later that year by Decca.
[5] The abridged version used for Blood on the Floor has also been recorded once by trumpet players William Forman and Bruce Nockles, with the Ensemble Modern conducted by Peter Rundel.