Despite initially being seen as unplayable by Langgaard's contemporaries due to its difficulty and grand scale, the work's 1913 premiere, given by the Berlin Philharmonic under the baton of German conductor Max Fiedler, was well received.
1 is compositionally and structurally similar to the works of Richard Wagner, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Anton Bruckner, and Richard Strauss due to its rich orchestration, lush melodies, and considerable length.
1 "Klippepastoraler" is scored for a large orchestra consisting of 3 flutes (1 doubling piccolo), 3 oboes (1 doubling cor anglais), 3 clarinets, 3 bassoons, 8 horns (4 doubling Wagner tubas), 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, bass trombone, tuba, 7 timpani (2 players), cymbals, triangle, tam-tam, snare drum, 2 harps and strings.
Earlier that year, on April 8, 2022, Oramo conducted the work with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
[5] The work has also been performed by conductor Jahbom Koo and the Korean Symphony Orchestra.