Created in 2010, Rest is a concert band adaption of a choral work by the same composer, There Will Be Rest, which was commissioned in 1999 by the Pacific Chorale, John Alexander, conductor. The composer writes:
In making this version, I preserved almost everything from the original: harmony, dynamics, even the original registration. I also endeavored to preserve carefully the fragile beauty and quiet dignity suggested by Sara Teasdale's words.
However, with the removal of the text, I felt free to enhance certain aspects of the music, most strikingly with the addition of a sustained climax on the main theme. This extended climax allows the band version to transcend the expressive boundaries of a straight note-for-note setting of the original. Thus, both versions are intimately tied and yet independent of one another, each possessing its own strenghts and unique qualities.