The concerto keeps the orchestra at bay by delicate orchestrations, gaps of silence and attacks of sound in little puffs. The violin spends much of the time in its highest registers, creating a penetrating timbre that reinforces the highly ornamented legato line. The combination is one of effusive ardor played against an almost Puritan reticence.[4]
John von Rhein of the Chicago Tribune also praised the work, commenting, "Those listeners who normally find Carter's music abrasive should be pleased to discover how lyrical and flowing this music is. Its complexities compel, rather than repel, attention."[5] Andrew Clements of The Guardian lauded the form and orchestration of the piece, writing:
The effect is of a seamless span of music that is articulated by kaleidoscopic changes of colour and textures, with a mosaic of thematic ideas in which the solo violin interacts with ensembles drawn from the orchestra, like a tapestry of chamber music in which the instrumentation is constantly changing and with the solo line weaving its way in and out of the orchestral textures as new perspectives constantly reveal themselves.[6]
