As is often the case in his oeuvre, the composer starts from spiritual pictorial ideas: Whereas the first movement 'Landschaft in Erwartung' [Landscape in anticipation] presents an imaginary space between 'impersonal' counterpoint and longingly expressive parts, 'Maria und der Engel' [Mary and the Angel] appear in the second movement: The meditative contemplation of the young Mother of God is interrupted by the angel whose music is based on an Indian raga. Mary eventually accepts her vocation and aligns her motives with those of the angel. The representation of both spheres by one instrument has a particular charm.