This single movement work draws on the unity of a tightly knit small ensemble: a standard string orchestra featuring, from time to time a solo violin and solo viola. It gains its energy from displaced accents and a distinctive piling up of parallel or near parallel melodic parts to create a sense of propulsion.
The central section, by contrast, is fragmented and sparsely textured, lapsing into introspection and reflection – as if the players are pondering over the musical material. Motives are slowed down, spread out, and shared between parts. Dreamy tremolos and floating chords pave the way for a return to the opening ideas by way of a limping waltz. The concluding section once more features the riffs (melodic fragments) and rhythmic patterns derived from blues music.