ɪt wʌz pɹəmˈɪɹd ˌɔn dᵻsˈɛmbɚ fˈɪftiːn, tˈuː θˈaʊzənd, æt ðə θˈeɪæɾɚ dˈuː tʃˈeɪtlɪt ɪn pˈæɹɪs baɪ sˈoʊloʊˌɪsts dˈɔːn ˈʌpʃɔː, ləɹˈeɪn hˈʌnt lˈiːbɚsən ænd wˈɪlɑːɹd wˈaɪt, ðə vˈoʊkəl ɑːnsˈɑːmbəl θˈiəɾɚɹ ʌv vˈɔɪsᵻz kənsˈɪstɪŋ ʌv kˈaʊntɚtˌɛnɚz dˈænjəl bjˈuːbɛk, bɹˈaɪən kˈʌmɪŋz ænd stˈiːvən ɹˈɪkɚdz, ðə lˈʌndən vˈɔɪsᵻz, lˌæ mˈeɪtɹaɪz də pˈæɹɪs, ænd ðə dˈɔɪtʃᵻz sˈɪmfoʊniˈɔːɹkᵻstɚ bɜːlˈɪn, wɪð kˈɛnt næɡˈɑːnoʊ kəndˈʌktɪŋ.
It was premiered on December 15, 2000, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris by soloists Dawn Upshaw, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson and Willard White, the vocal ensemble Theatre of Voices (consisting of countertenors Daniel Bubeck, Brian Cummings and Steven Rickards), the London Voices, La Maîtrise de Paris, and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, with Kent Nagano conducting.