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The Violin Concerto No.1 is a pivotal work, one which displays a maturation of the composer. If one compares this Concerto to Prokofiev's earlier piano concertos, it is easy to see that the former is decidedly more natural in its thematic unfolding, and formally less academic.

Instead of the usual fast-slow-fast concerto structure, Prokofiev's outer movements are slow, while the middle movement is a fast scherzo. The order of the Concerto's movements is not the only unusual aspect of this violin concerto: the role of the solo violin is also atypical. While the violin dominates the piece, it is not set dramatically against the orchestra; instead, as Russian music critic I. Yampolsky wrote, the violin is "the first among equals," dominant but integrated into the orchestral texture.

The concerto is written in three movements:
1. Andantino
2. Scherzo: Vivacissimo
3. Moderato - Andante