Its world premiere was given by the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Otto Tausk at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on 23 February 2023.
The act of composing, although often a huge challenge, can occasionally elicit the most intense feeling of joy, and that is something that I wanted to pervade the whole piece.
"[1] The work is scored for a large orchestra comprising three flutes (doubling piccolo and alto flute), two oboes, Cor anglais, three clarinets, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, two trombones, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, four percussionists, celesta, harp, and strings.
[1] Rupert Christiansen of The Daily Telegraph praised Meditations on Joy, writing, "Three short movements travel from passages of muffled intensity, interrupted by a triumphant thunderclap, to a light-touch Scherzo and an ascent into celestial realms, graced with cascades of woodwind and concluding in something like a lullaby, its harmonies unresolved."
He elaborated, "Joy of sorts arrived with clattering staccato outbursts for brass and percussion and swirling woodwinds, but the most lingering mood of this three-movement, 15-minute creation was contemplative and coloured light grey.