It was first performed at Carnegie Hall on January 28, 1990, by the flutist Carol Wincenc and the American Composers Orchestra under the conductor Hugh Wolff.
Tower briefly described the piece in the score program notes, writing, "The 15-minute work starts with the low register of the flute alone before the orchestra comes.
Reviewing the world premiere, Bernard Holland of The New York Times wrote, "It is a one-movement work that makes a musical virtue of its technical cleverness.
The flute's natural reticence in big formats is a problem met head on, not simply avoided by separating solo instrument from orchestra."
He added:Indeed, low registers set against finely separated ensemble colors give the flute a strong and intelligible identity.