Benda, Franz: Sonata in E minor for flute and bc

The recordings on this 2CD set come from the broadcasting archives of the former GDR and feature flute music from the court of Friedrich II of Prussia. All the performers and orchestras on the original release were high class musicians of their time, and this compilation thus forms a unique contribution to the cultural record of the latter years of a state that no longer exists.

As is now well known, King Frederick the Great of Prussia was a passionate flautist who also wrote music for his beloved instrument. He gathered around him at his court some of the best German musicians of the time and brought to the Prussian Courts at Berlin and Potsdam the composers Carl Heinrich Graun, Franz Benda, C. P. E. Bach and Johann Quantz. This recording presents music from Frederick’s musical circle, and contains works of the above-mentioned composers as well as some by the King himself.