Phillips had retired by the time the work was ready to be premiered, so the solo part was played by the Spanish harpist Nicanor Zabaleta with the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Eugene Ormandy.
By 1985, it was the most-performed work by Ginastera, making him one of the top earners for its publisher, Boosey & Hawkes.
In 2016, the centenary of the composer's birth, saw a number of performances including one by the French harpist Marie-Pierre Langlamet and the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Juanjo Mena.
The harp was the instrument par excellence of the Spanish Renaissance and early Baroque periods, introduced extensively to the New World by the missionaries, and folk harps remain an integral part of traditional music across Latin America.
As such, Ginastera was able to incorporate elements of both traditional aesthetics and Latin American harp into his work.