Bach Family: A musical offering

 
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C.P.E. BACH / J.S. BACH / W.F. BACH
Bach Family: A musical offering
Le Caravansérail, Frank Theuns, Sophie Gent, Bertrand Cuiller

[ Ramée / CD ]

Release Date: Friday 5 June 2026

Pre-order your copy NOW!

It was in 1747 that Johann Sebastian Bach received an invitation from King Frederic II of Prussia. Bach travelled with Wilhelm Friedmann - his eldest son - to Potsdam, where Carl Philipp Emanuel, his second eldest son, was accompanist to the king's court. This was the famous visit during which Johann Sebastian improvised a ricercar or fugue in three voices on a theme supplied by the monarch and later led him to compose the Musical Offering.

This recording presents sections of Bach's Musical Offering, including the Trio Sonata, side by side with Trios by both Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philip Emanuel. The intention was to shed light on the familial character of Bach's visit to Potsdam and Berlin in 1747 and its musical consequences. The importance of this gathering between the three most famous members of the Bach family and the impact it had on their respective lives and careers cannot be overestimated. For Johann Sebastian himself, however, this was to be brief: he died three years later in 1750.

Tracks:

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach:
Sonata a Flauto Traverso, Violino e Basso, Wq 143: I. Allegro
Sonata a Flauto Traverso, Violino e Basso, Wq 143: II. Adagio
Sonata a Flauto Traverso, Violino e Basso, Wq 143: III. Presto

Johann Sebastian Bach:
Ricercar a 3, BWV 1079
Sonata a Flauto Traverso e Cembalo obligato, BWV 1032: I. Vivace
Sonata a Flauto Traverso e Cembalo obligato, BWV 1032: II. Largo e dolce
Sonata a Flauto Traverso e Cembalo obligato, BWV 1032: III. Allegro

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach:
Trio a 2 Flauti e Cembalo, Fk 49: I. Allegro

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach:
Trio a Cembalo Obligato e Violino, Wq 72: I. Adagio ma non tanto
Trio a Cembalo Obligato e Violino, Wq 72: II. Allegro
Trio a Cembalo Obligato e Violino, Wq 72: III. Allegro

Johann Sebastian Bach:
Sonata sopr'il Soggetto Reale a Traversa, Violino e Continuo, BWV 1079: I. Largo
Sonata sopr'il Soggetto Reale a Traversa, Violino e Continuo, BWV 1079: II. Allegro
Sonata sopr'il Soggetto Reale a Traversa, Violino e Continuo, BWV 1079: III. Andante
Sonata sopr'il Soggetto Reale a Traversa, Violino e Continuo, BWV 1079: IV. Allegro
Canon perpetuus super thema Regium, BWV 1079