Thanatos, God of Death, appears in early Greek mythology. His character and figure are not well known. His mother Nyx stands for night, and his brother Hypnos represents sleep. It is believed that Hypnos makes one fall asleep when the time of death comes, and Thanatos then comes to fetch the mortal life. Sigmund Freud suggested the impulse of self-destruction was related to a "desire-libido" that seeks pleasure and procreation, and theorized that Eros and Thanatos (Life and Death) are natural human dual instincts, like 'Love and Hate' and 'Hunger and Love'.

The first movement begins quietly and continues with the mixed texture of minimal harmonization, or un-tethered harmonies. This is not musical description so there is no particular motive expressing Thanatos. The second movement has a hysterical opening Allegro. At the end of the piece, you can hear steady harmonization. It is okay to end the piece two measures before rehearsal [G]. (So you don't play the F chord.) The indication of 'solo' is in the case of an ensemble larger than eight clarinets.