C.P.E. BACH: The Best of [CD de audio] Various and C.P.E. Bach

This set brings together the best of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, a composer who achieved considerable renown in his own lifetime and was in fact much more highly regarded than his father contemporaneous references always referred to him, rather than Johann Sebastian, as the great Bach. The second eldest of four sons, Emanuels reputation declined somewhat during the course of the 19th century, when Mendelssohns revival of his fathers Matthew Passion fuelled a surge in appreciation for the mastery of this geniuss music. Today, however, with renewed interest in neglected 18thcentury music, his status has been revised, and he is now recognised as a significant composer in his own right, the author of a boldly original and innovative style. The two discs reveal that C.P.E. composed in practically every genre except opera. A substantial part of his career was spent working for the fluteplaying Frederick the Great, and his chamber music reflects the conservative tastes of his patron who was ef