Written on Fire Island, New York, in the summer of 1944, to celebrate the liberation of Paris. The work opens with an aggressive, big and energetic theme - although it is an joyous dance, it is asymmetric, syncopated and "jerky" which makes it even more uninhibited in feeling. The theme is expanded in smaller units and concentrated orchestrations, with some jazz inflections within the texture. But the energy simply has to burst out at times. A second theme is introduced within the texture, a somewhat smoother almost waltz-like melody of interior happiness. Both themes continue in their interplay. A third theme with long tones is introduced in the brass, it recalls tension and a dramatic past. The three themes continue in complex polyphony, and all sorts of contrapuntal devices are employed - (canons, augmentation, inverted counterpoint) to create a dense stretti, a five-part "prolation canon" (ie. whole notes become half-notes, etc.). Toward the end, the third theme appears in the lower brass and continues to build into a massive and grand texture that eventually overwhelms all of the faster activity. Suddenly, the initial themes burst through and the piece concludes with a blast of flutter-tonguing brass.

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