The opening features a series of statements in expanding variations form in which each subsequent phrase can be heard as an elaboration and amplification of the former. In other words, each new phrase not only embellishes what has been played previously, but also introduces new stuctural material. In this way the variations increase in length and complexity, moving from the succinct to the sublime.
In contrast to the slow, improvisatory character of the first section, the central portion of the work is suddenly brisk and terse, replete with syncopation. Here the notion of unfolding is depicted by ever-widening intervallic wedges and ever-contracting rhythmic cells which propel the piece to an abrupt, but lingering climax. On the heels of this suspended caesura the piece reclaims the tempo and character of the beginning. Here, however, each statement is condensed or abridged (rather than elaborated on) as the work makes its way to what seems its inevitable conclusion.
You [unfolding] is dedicated to 'cellist Leslie Nash.