 After the initial dramatic opening, marked ‘Sostenuto, marcato’, swells of unusual sonorities derived from the characteristic harmony outlined above are presented, the music fades out to reveal the note G, sustained in the strings and clarinets in the same octave over a gradual diminuendo.This is an allusion to the ending of the work, discussed below.This gives way to a section of calm, ethereal string writing against a quietly sustained woodwind background, marked ‘Meno Mosso’, which introduces the more lyrical material, based on the flow of thirds, foreshadowing the tranquillity of the central Adagio.