[3] This piece was finished in 1984, and premiered in Bath, Great-Britain, on June 8 of the same year, with Oliver Knussen conducting the London Sinfonietta.

It is scored for a Pierrot ensemble consisting of one flute, one clarinet in A, one violin, one cello and a piano, with the addition of a vibraphone.

The first section, bars 1–27, is characterized by a slow pulse ornamented by percussive and rapid arpeggios made by different instruments.

On the third beat of bar 46 a short coda ensues, repeating the same chord while using the ornaments from section one.

[5] The tempo is "Très lent, immuable" (French: Very slow, unchanging) at a maximum of  = 40.