The opening Adagio acts as an austere and brief introduction, moments of extreme tension contrasting with gently flowing counterpoint, with minor sevenths being particularly prominent.
The intensity and severity is sustained for a considerable period of time until a hushed section emerges, building up to a harsh passage of sevenths piled on top of each other before subsiding to another buildup that gradually increases in volume.
A climax is eventually reached, and a modified recapitulation of the opening of the Severo section is heard before it quickly dissipates into fragments, leaving a high C sustained on the first violin.
There is tenderness and delicacy here but the listener is briefly reminded of the Severo section once again before the work fades away into silence, unresolved.
Currently, the only commercially available CD is a Hyperion Records release which also includes String Quartet No.