The King´s Solo

Flute Concert in Sanssouci, the Palace of Frederick the Great
(J. J. Quantz, C. P. E. Bach, F. Benda)

Jana Semerádová – flauto traverso
Barbara Maria Willi – harpsichord

Wednesday 4 August 2010, 8.00 pm
Břevnov Monastery, Teresian Hall, Markétská 1, Prague 6

„Bravo!“ exclaimed Johann Joachim Quantz, in praise of the playing of his pupil Frederick II (the „Great“) during a private concert held at the castle of Sanssouci. The king had a good embouchure coupled with refined taste, and was surrounded by composers – none other than Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach accompanied him on the harpsichord, and the composers František Benda and Jiří Čart had arrived from Bohemia. Even the „old codger“ Bach appeared on one famous occasion, in order to display his contrapunctal mastery. We returned to this age – one in which the leaders of this world seemed still to care about harmony – with the flautist Jana Semerádová and the harpsichordist Barbara Maria Willi as our guides.