Nocturne was written in early 1994 and dedicated to the memory of the Polish composer, Witold Lutoslawski. The piece is an exploration of early ideas for Kaija Saariaho's violin concerto, Graal Thé tre, which was premieredinLondon at the 1995 BBC Promenade Concerts by Gidon Kremer. The first performance of Nocturne was by John Storgårds on 16 February 1994 in Helsinki. Nocturne lasts around 6 minutes.