Sallinen described its composition in the score program notes, remarking, "I have sought to combine two contrasting elements in this work: one that is fragmentary and sketchy, and one that maintains a symphonic discipline and coherence."
The fascination of a sketch lies in the fact that it conveys a strong, quickly realised inspiration and vision, at the same time leaving scope for many possible alterations and developments.
Reviewing a 2005 performance by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times described the piece as "like a string of boldly disconnected rhythmic riffs, melodic motives and aborted attempts at development."
Soon, strangely haunting things happen: whistling figurations from the violins, minimalistic repetitions in the lower strings, pungent brass chorales that suddenly stop.
[2]Guy Rickards of Gramophone said the title "seems at odds with the music's unbroken flow and much of the work's dynamic arises from this tension between static and moving elements, encapsulated right at the start, dominated by the percussion."