This quartet forms part of a major opus whose different works make use of the same tone row matrix characterised by the harmonic interval of a third. Contrasting with the aggressive, expansive piano sonata which also belongs to the opus, its nostalgic tone is a mark of respect for the traditional ethos of string music. Erkki Salmenhaara compared the work to a prism: "As the composer turns it, one and the same shaft of light gives birth over and again to new patterns and combinations of colours".