It was commissioned by the Ravinia Festival and was written specifically for the sibling piano group The 5 Browns, whom Muhly met while attending Juilliard School.
[1] Edge of the World has a duration of approximately 20 minutes and is cast in four movements with one interlude: In the score program notes, Muhly described the composition as "a piece for five pianos (and sometimes orchestra) that is meant to be the soundtrack to living in cities at the extremes of the map: the far north, the end of the road, the far side of the lake."
Reviewing the world premiere, John von Rhein of the Chicago Tribune wrote, "Working within a jumpy, post-minimalist style, Muhly turns the five keyboards into a kind of hyper-piano: one or more pianists take the lead in interlocking patterns, the five functioning rather like members of a musical relay race.
He added, "Through it all, your ear is held by Muhly's knack for creating imaginative textures and fields of sun-dappled colors that are constantly shifting in ways you don't always expect.
"[2] Gerald Fisher of the Chicago Classical Review praised moments of the orchestration, despite noting, "The Edge of the World is not groundbreaking and shows influences from Philip Glass and, more to the point, the early Steve Reich of Music for 18 Musicians.