Sculpture has been praised by music critics. Reviewing the world premiere,
Mark Swed of the
Los Angeles Times described the score as "sophisticated yet immediately engrossing" and wrote, "The orchestral writing is that of a master. Disney Hall is especially happy with bass notes, and Lindberg gave it its fill. The bouncy fanfare figures are not blatant but more like a filigree. The instrumental texture is often fast-moving and complex. A
Sibelius sense of mysterious winds blowing everything around is strong at first." He added, "In the middle,
Sculpture turns into a miniature
concerto for orchestra, focusing on different instrumental sections competing to be the most dazzling. The piece climaxes with rousing
Stravinskyan rhythms. The score's 23 minutes fly by. The performance was spectacular." The music was similarly praised by Joshua Kosman of the
San Francisco Chronicle and Steven Pritchard of
The Observer. Andrew Clements of
The Guardian called the piece a "striking" example of "Lindberg's recent style, in which the control over harmony and structure is as rigorous as ever, but the gestural surface of the music is more immediately involving than in his earlier works." ==Recording==