"He is the father, we are the sons," said Mozart of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. This statement reveals just how venerated a figure the latter composer was in his day -- to the extent that much of Haydn's musical apprenticeship was based on the study of his works. Today he is hailed as the forefather of the First Viennese School: a composer who was instrumental in the development of the empfindsamer Stil, which sought to express 'true' or 'natural' feelings in music.

C.P.E. Bach is perhaps best known for his cultivation of the keyboard sonata; here, however, we have the opportunity to delve into a lesser-known facet of his output: Recorder Concertos and chamber music. The works abound in invention of the upmost quality, all the while exhibiting a wide emotional range and intensity of expression; from the highly virtuosic Flute Concerto in D minor Wq22 (where more space is devoted to the dialogue between flute and orchestra) to the Sonata Wq108 for harpsichord, with a flute and string accompaniment -- and in which the lead instrument is relegated to a discreet role, thus echoing the transition stage in which the harpsichord gradually gave way to the ensemble score -- these pieces join together in revealing the composer's forward-thinking, not to mention highly accessible, style.

Brilliant regulars Stefano Bagliano (recorder) and Federico Guglielmo (violin) are among the talented array of artists featured on this recording -- all of whom perform under the ensemble name 'Collegium Pro Musica', a period performance-oriented group which has elicited much praise since its founding in 1990.