Friedrich der Grosse (1712-2012): Music for the Berlin Court

Featuring

Christoph Huntgeburth
Jan Freiheit
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
Johann Gottlieb Graun
Christoph Nichelmann
Friedrich II von Preussen (Frederick the Great)

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach

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Composer Biography

Frederick II, also known as Frederick the Great, was not only a patron of the arts but also an active composer and flute player, composing over one hundred flute sonatas.

Historical Context

Frederick II significantly expanded the court orchestra he inherited from his time as Crown Prince, making it one of the largest court orchestras in the German-speaking world.

Performer Biography

The Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, founded in East Berlin in 1982, celebrates its thirtieth anniversary in 2012 and is recognized as a leading chamber orchestra worldwide.

Composer Biography

Christoph Nichelmann, a harpsichordist in Frederick II's court orchestra, was a pupil of Johann Sebastian Bach and later studied with Georg Philipp Telemann.

Instruments

The viola da gamba, though gradually supplanted by the cello, was still considered the epitome of elegant courtly music-making in the 18th century, and Frederick II's court was a center for its playing.

Historical Context

The English music historian Charles Burney visited Berlin in 1772 to experience the city's rich musical life under Frederick II, a king renowned for his patronage of the arts.

Composer Biography

Johann Gottlieb Graun, a Konzertmeister in the Prussian court Kapelle, concentrated his compositional efforts on instrumental music, creating numerous overtures, symphonies, and concertos.