In March 1956, Barraqué first formed a plan to set passages, in the French translation by Albert Kohn, from the second book ("Fire—The Descent") of Hermann Broch's novel The Death of Virgil, and straightaway began composing Le Temps restitué.
[1] He then devised a revised plan for the second book, which included details of the intended orchestration of Le Temps restitué, but set aside the draft in favour of other projects.
Helga Pilarczyk was the soprano soloist, with members of the French Radio Choir (prepared by Jean-Paul Kréder) and the Ensemble du Domaine Musical, conducted by Gilbert Amy.
in Paris with Anne Bartelloni (soprano), the French Radio chamber choir (using three voices on a part instead of twelve soloists), and the Ars Nova ensemble, conducted by Jean-Paul Kréder.
Barraqué's omissions from the prose texts avoid many typical Brochian stylistic features in favour of its distinctive rhythm, retaining aspects of designation, assertion, and description.
The syntax of the French translation permits Barraqué to end on the words "ouvert à la connaissance" (open to perception), which would not have been possible in the German original.
The chorus sings four independent layers of text in twelve parts, "colliding and chaotic" (according to the score's instructions) against the soprano's cantabile, then adopts a more settled four-part texture to complete the movement as an aria with choral accompaniment.