After the success of Carpe Diem! a Clarinet Concerto written in 1990 Kaipainen went on to write his Oboe Concerto in 1994. Carpe diem! exemplifies the increasingly Classical ideals espoused by Kaipainen over the years. He develops this strand even further in his 'Oboe Concerto' which is a much more restrained and balanced work in darker tones.The piece contains three movements the first of which combines elements of a traditional opening movement and scherzo. The slow movement is an affecting elegy. The finale consists mostly of quietly played perpetuum mobile figures interspersed with sudden dramatic passages.