Until this point the production of the young composer for piano had taken the form of attractive character pieces (suitable for home players) in the manner of Mendelssohn or Grieg. And for the most part Nielsen turned to the piano for such light-hearted expressions. This "Symphonic Suite" is one of the most important exceptions to that rule. It is a work for a concert pianist, and creates a massive, nearly orchestral, sound that requires a great strength on the part of the player, who must also be able to master gradations of color and touch within fortissimo to fortississimo levels.

Formally the work is an attempt to fuse aspects of both a piano suite and a symphony. Nielsen did not, however, turn to the sonata form, but he also did not fully exploit the binding and driving potential of his "progressive tonality" means of organizing music. The result is a degree of lack of direction in this piece, which nevertheless remains a very interesting and quite exciting work.

Nielsen was strongly attacked by the critics, including Hammerich, who said that the work was an "insult to people." In an angry reply, Nielsen pointed out that the first performance (by Louis Glass on May 5, 1895 in Copenhagen) resulted in the audience responding "admirably." However, elsewhere he complained that Glass had not understood the spirit of the piece fully. The composer also expressed frustration that he was a violinist and not a professional pianist, since this prevented him from playing it himself. It would be twenty years until he wrote any more major keyboard music.

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