Bach after Berlin

Top soloits Frank Theuns (traverso), Sophie Gent (violin) and Bertrand Cuiller (harpsichord) unite to perform the Bach family’s trio sonatas, all composed in 1747.

In 1747, it has been five years since Johann Sebastian Bach visited his son Carl Philipp Emanuel in Berlin. Emanuel is now married to Johanna Maria Dannemann and they already have two children, Bach's first grandchildren.

So the invitation from the Prussian King Frederick II to come to Berlin must have been music to Bach's ears. Together with his eldest son Wilhelm Friedrich, who had just been appointed organist at the Liebfrauenkirche in Halle, they made the journey to Berlin. Apart from the usual duties of a royal reception, there will undoubtedly be time for family matters.

It is tempting, therefore, to imagine the conversations within the domestic circle. As well as mundane matters, there may be talk of colleagues and working conditions, and of Father Bach's eye problems. But undoubtedly also musical matters and - why not - the composition of trios. Is it a coincidence that his son Emanuel revises his trio sonatas in the same year?

Upon his return to Leipzig, Bach wrote one of his masterpieces, Das Musikalisches Opfer (The Musical Offering), based on a theme suggested by the king. The trio sonata from this work is undoubtedly considered one of the highlights of Baroque chamber music.

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with Frank Theuns (traverso), Sophie Gent (violin) and Bertrand Cuiller (harpsichord) photo Gieke Merckx