The Adagio refers directly to Mozart's Adagio h-Moll für Klavier KV 540. Goehr's Adagio at first follows the harmonic and motivic events of the original, while the repetitions of the two parts allow latitude for own variations and developments. The tempo increases, texture and sound are getting denser. Against the background of the original work by Mozart, Goehr draws a musical self-portrait in a subtly differentiated instrumentation, based on his own understanding.