According to Glass, this traditional structure was not a concession to formality but simply a result of the work finding "a voice of its own" as the first and second movements developed into longer pieces than he had originally conceived.
The solo violin enters early in the movement playing fairly rapid arpeggios that gradually extend to encompass the full range of the instrument.
The piece then plunges into an intense churning pattern, with full orchestra accompanying the violin into more complex arpeggiated material before returning again to the pulsing chord motif.
Once this is established, the violin enters with a series of high motifs—one legato, consisting mainly of repeated sustained notes and two of arpeggiated figures.
The movement peaks at its halfway point and the harmonic layers disappear one by one, the violin oscillating between the perfect fifth in two octaves, without settling on the tonic.
After lingering on a single chord for a brief period the orchestra breaks into a rhythm of Latin American origin, along with untuned wooden percussion.