Passacaglia: Prussian Blue – CPE Bach Sonatas for flute, viola da gamba and harpsichord

New release – 18th March 2022

Prussian Blue is Passacaglia’s exploration of early sonatas (1737-1747) by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. In this period Emanuel moved from his student haunt of Frankfurt to the court of Frederick the Great in Berlin, and the turbulent and impassioned music he wrote seems to be a conscious rejection of the baroque style that had come before. The chiaroscuro contrasts and wild harmonic leaps seems to foreshadow music that would be written 50 years later; and yet there’s also exquisite galant refinement and balance.

Too often overshadowed in recent times by the work of his father, CPE Bach was highly regarded in his own lifetime. Charles Burney wrote that he was ‘one of the greatest composers that ever existed’ and that while his music could be ‘fantastical and far-fetched… his flights are not the wild ravings of ignorance or madness, but the effusions of cultivated genius.’

Passacaglia explore this brilliant, engaging, and hugely rewarding repertoire as a trio: Annabel Knight playing baroque flute, Reiko Ichise on viola da gamba, and Robin Bigwood at the harpsichord.

Track listing

All works by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach:

1-3: Sonata in D Major for flute and basso continuo Wq 131 (Berlin, 1747)
4-6: Sonata in E Minor for flute and basso continuo Wq 124 (Frankfurt, 1737)
7-9: Sonata in C Major for viola da gamba and basso continuo Wq 136 (Berlin, 1745)
10-12: Sonata in A Minor for unaccompanied flute Wq 132 (Berlin, 1747)
13-15: Sonata in C Minor for keyboard (from the ‘Prussian’ sonatas) Wq 48/4 (Berlin, 1741)
16-18: Sonata in B-flat Major for flute and basso continuo Wq 125 (Berlin, 1738)

Total running time: 67m25s

Additional information

Available as a physical audio CD or an instant audio file download (320kbps MP3, 44/16 WAV and 44/24 FLAC) with PDF booklet and tracklisting. Recorded at St Andrew’s Church, Toddington, Gloucestershire UK in May 2019 and August 2021. Produced by Adrian Hunter. Editing by Robin Bigwood. Cover graphic ‘Prussian Blue’ by Beth Munkli.