Dreams has a curious structure, featuring one theme and a few related motifs, a churning, mysterious background, and virtually no development. Yet the work lasts ten minutes or more. The ethereal main theme returns again and again, only slightly varied but each time with greater power and each time reaching a more powerful climax after which the horns seem to soothe and console before the next buildup begins. Finally, the music achieves its ultimate release, with the climactic episode extended and more ecstatic. The music then fades quietly away.