[3] Prior to this work, Corigliano had “long resisted the notion of a contemporary symphony ... for what he felt was its egotistical elevation of the composer’s need to express himself over the needs of the performer or audiences”.
The piece intensifies with increasing dynamic and tempo to a climax, from which the violins take over in the very upper range of their register, thus beginning the B section.
As the violins descend, in a calmer and more peaceful mood, an offstage piano enters with Leopold Godowsky's transcription of Isaac Albéniz's Tango in D – a tribute to Corigliano's pianist-friend.[who?]
The lyrical melody, first played by solo woodwind instruments and then by strings, carries a much more nostalgic mood.
A recapitulation of the motives from the beginning of the piece reach a final climax to conclude the movement, as the strings linger on a high A.