The entire piece was created over the span of five years with separate commissions for each movement.
A connective narrative between movements was written and read by Jack Larson, who had played Jimmy Olsen on television in The Adventures of Superman.
The orchestral version without narration was premiered by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, David Zinman conducting, in January 1994, at the Meyerhoff Concert Hall in Baltimore, Maryland.
[1] A new recording conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero and performed by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra was nominated in six categories for Grammy Awards of 2011.
[2] Publisher: Peermusic Classical Metropolis Symphony - Michael Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony/Bizarro Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, David Zinman, Conductor London/Decca Argo 452-103-2 Metropolis Symphony - Michael Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony/Deus ex Machina Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Giancarlo Guerrero, Conductor Naxos American Classics 8.559635