The composition was commissioned by the Festival d’Automne à Paris in 1989 as part of their commemoration of the French Revolution’s bicentennial.
The title is based on a short poem by Makoto Ōoka: SinkDon’t sing.Be simplySilent.Be simple:A stringTo wind aroundAutumn.Takemitsu stated that he chose this title because of the two words at the end: string and, more especially, autumn, even though some critics have acknowledged the two intended comparisons between the "string" (being the solo viola) and "autumn", which is the season in which the festival took place.
[2] Even though the work is usually referred to as a concerto, Takemitsu initially called it an "imaginary landscape".
[2] On this occasion, the soloist was Nobuko Imai, with the Orchestre de Paris conducted by Kent Nagano.
It is scored for a solo viola and a large orchestra, consisting of 3 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 4 clarinets, 3 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, vibraphone, glockenspiel, chimes, suspended cymbals, gongs, tamtams, 2 harps, piano, celesta, and a large section of strings.