The piece thus mixes musical techniques of the Baroque era with the Zwilich's own neo-Romantic style, which the composer described as a "twentieth-century response to the spirit of George Frideric Handel.
"[1] The Concerto Grosso has a performance duration of approximately 15 minutes and is cast in five short movements: The work is scored for a chamber orchestra consisting of flute, two oboes (2nd doubling Cor anglais), two horns, harpsichord, and strings.
[1] Reviewing a 1988 performance of the Concerto Grosso, Michael Kimmelman of The New York Times wrote, "The work's five, clearly defined and intelligently-shaped movements last a total of 15 minutes; that's just the right amount.
"[2] Reviewing a 1992 performance, Joan Reinthaler of The Washington Post similarly wrote, "This is a nicely conceived and crafted five-movement work built largely on the first four notes of the Handel Violin Sonata No.
"[4] Annette Morreau of BBC Music Magazine was more critical of the piece, writing, "the Concerto Grosso, is an academically 'correct', 20th-century pastiche of Handel with Coplandish wide-open-prairie strings to clanky harpsichord, 'wrong-note' 18th-century harmonies and played with (inauthentic?)