Why is this trope so effective? It taps into a fundamental human phobia: the inability to find sanctuary.
This piece is designed to be a bridge. It functions as a palate cleanser between movements, but it leaves a bad taste in the mouth. The "persistent" aspect comes from the refusal of the harmony to resolve to a major key, and the cyclical nature of the bass drone. It suggests that while the scene may have changed, the threat has not. persistent evil intermezzo