Daniel Asia is an American composer (born 1953 in Seattle, Washington) who like many of his generation began by writing mostly in the atonal style, but then moving towards more communicative music with tonality, though often an extended tonal system with free chromaticism.

In addition, he has become increasingly devoted to the idea of simplicity in his music. Therefore the invitation to write a work for the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra in connection with its 50th Anniversary in 1992 was welcome, as it would sharpen his impetus towards simplicity. Furthermore, as a kid, Asia had many of his earliest musical experiences with the orchestra and wanted to return something to them.

His immediate inspiration was the music of Aaron Copland, another American composer who moved from a complex modernist idiom to a simpler, more populist one. In addition, Copland wrote on commission for school age performers on more than one occasion. Finally, Copland had just died towards the end of 1990. "I was somewhat preoccupied by Copland's musical spirit," write Asia, "his striving for the simple statement, his distinctly American sense of rhythm, as well as a preference for high, glistening sonorities."

Formally the work is a 13-minute overture whose musical material all emerges from the single basic musical idea that is stated at the beginning. There is a substantial slow introduction. If it is to be compared with the music of Copland, the equivalent would be the plainly-spoken, rather transcendental and proclamatory music. One strong difference, though, is in the rhythm of the introduction. Asia creates an effect of prose, rather than poetry in that the phrase lengths and the time signature are constantly changing. The maximum length without a time signature change is five measures. One adjective that commentators have applied to the introduction is "elegiac," but this writer prefers "meditative," with the notation that one is meditating on some serious subject.

The main body of the movement is in exactly double the tempo of the opening part and, as noted, is built from the same material. It is mostly in 2/2, though there are constant shifts of accent and syncopations that keep the rhythmic feeling far from straightfoward. It is sparkling music, as lively and fun as the faster bits of Copland's Rodeo or Leonard Bernstein's Fancy Free.

One element that sets this piece apart from those two models is Asia's own particular sardonic voice that seems to fit the interest in the generation of Seattle teens of the time in putting on an "attitude."

The work was premiered by the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra in 1992. Soon after that Asia decided to write his Symphony No. 3, and built it around At the Far Edge. The opening Largo section was used as the introduction to the whole symphony and its musical material built new musical ideas for the first movement. The fast part of At the Far Edge became the third and final movement of the symphony, with minor alterations.

At the Far Edge can still be performed in its original form as a self-sufficient piece of music.

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