A concerto of ordinary construction would finish here, and for a considerable stretch this movement behaves as though it intends to. Listeners encountering the work for the first time have been observed to applaud.

The composer has expressed sympathy for them. He has also declined to alter anything, observing that a piece which ends where you expect it to has told you its last secret some minutes before it finishes, and that he would rather keep hold of his a little longer.

Back to Xylophone Concerto #2.