Its world premiere was given by the pianist Alexandre Tharaud and the Westdeutscher Rundfunk Sinfonie-Orchester under the direction of Ilan Volkov on January 29, 2016.
Rebecca Franks of The Times described it as "weightless and otherworldly, as stark, soft, radiant and magical as fresh snow."
She added, "Even its composer, who took his bows after the flawless UK premiere with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the soloist Alexandre Tharaud and the conductor Ilan Volkov, had the air of a magician with access to unimagined realms.
And although it doesn't really intervene again until the last movement, you're continually aware of its sinister gloss black presence crouching there in the background – a quiet doppelganger, waiting to make its move.
For this UK premiere that was the work's dedicatee, Alexandre Tharaud, bringing a miraculous range of tone and expression to a score which at times has him playing no more than a single note suspended in silence, or picking his way between a pair of claves.