Aho's Piano Sonata composed in 1980 turned out demanding and weighty. The sizzling, improvisatory opening movement is followed by a relentlessly advancing, aggressive Allegro molto, which culminates in wild glissandos and clusters. The third movement builds up from a quiet beginning to a downright Beethovenian climax with series of trills and tremolos. The overall form might be compared with Beethoven's Piano Sonata in E Major op. 109.