First conceived in 1803/04 as the slow movement of the Piano Sonata in C major op. 53 (the “Waldstein” Sonata), the Andante turned out too long in Beethoven’s view and was replaced. Beethoven had it published as a standalone movement, presumably in 1805. The movement, marked “Grazioso con moto,” is characterised by a large variety of compositional techniques ranging from simple chord progressions to orchestral-like octave runs.

Because of its particular popularity, this single movement was pu...