The work was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic with support from the Marie-Josée Kravis Prize for New Music.
"[1] The work is scored for a large orchestra consisting of two flutes, piccolo, alto flute, two oboes, cor anglais, three clarinets, bass clarinet, four bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, two trumpets, two trombones, two tubas, three percussionists, and strings.
[2] Reviewing the world premiere, Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times wrote, "The title Metacosmos is meant to evoke a 'place beyond,' Ms. Thorvaldsdottir said from the stage.
The music takes us on a journey to this realm, where we are drawn by a force beyond our control, amid a power struggle 'between chaos and beauty.'
"[3] David Wright of the New York Classical Review also praised the piece, observing, "Metacosmos made a powerful impression in its debut performance, evoking an enormous vista of space and time in a 12-minute span with broad, artfully blended strokes of orchestral color.