The opening Allegro non troppo is entrusted largely to an insistent rhythm on the piano, above which the flute and the violin toss back and forth, as if in a game, echoes and fragments of a simple melodic figure. The central Andante sostenuto is like a brief dream in which the same figure assumes an entirely different aspect yet losing nothing of its identity. In the final Allegro vivace con spirito, it is once again the rhythm that predominates, obsessively imposed by the piano, leaving little room for either the violin or the flute to tear at the melodic fabric or indulge in harmonic pretentiousness. It is only in the Finale that the three instruments unite, like puppets that, having performed their various roles for the public’s entertainment, now take their bow.