To obtain a maximum of contrast, the orchestra contains no brass instruments, and the brass quintet appears not only as an ensemble but also in many solo passages for each of the five instruments.

The Concerto is in three movements. In the first movement the main themes are announced first by the full orchestra, then by the quintet ensemble, and finally by each of the brass soloists - tuba, trombone, horn and trumpet. In the following section all the themes are developed in a new orchestration and in a cadenza for unaccompanied quintet. After a short dynamic climax, the movement fades away in a soft, distant pianissimo.

The second movement is in variation form, with each variation in a different color and contrasting combination of instruments. The theme is introduced by the tuba, accompanied by the harp. Variation 1 repeats the theme, unchanged, by the quintet with a percussion background. The main line is carried in Variation 2 by the muted trumpets, in Variation 3 by the horn and in Variation 4 by the trombone. Variation 5 uses the full orchestra with the quintet, and Variation 6 has a rather mysterious character, using the muted brass quintet with the high-pitched tremolo of muted violins. In the last three variations the quintet is predominant, with the harp playing part of the theme and percussion in the background.

The last movement is gay and full of rhythmic vitality. It is written in a free sonata form. The quintet, which plays the opening bars, is treated in this movement more as an ensemble, in contrast to the preceding movement, where each brass player had extended solo parts. Before the end, we hear a cadenza for the quintet, followed by a joyful finale.