The second piano concerto by Rautavaara is a synthesis of modernism and tradition. Written a full 20 years after the previous piano concerto, it is more introspective than its predecessor. Featuring an equally virtuosic role for the solo piano, the work bathes the piano in a sea of lush, mysterious orchestral sonorities. The final movement is yet another example of Rautavaara's naturalistic birdsong-filled night music.