An Enveloping Rain reflects the dual nature of rain as both nurturing and destructive, comforting and menacing. Passages of gentle lyricism give way to more violent sections of gushing notes, and then die back down in a repeating cycle that creates, sustains, destroys and renews. A recurring harmonic progression serves as a marker of stability, around which the character of the music constantly changes, while pipa, erhu and guzheng are interwoven in ways that highlight both their similarities and their contrasting characters, producing a sound that veils and shrouds.