The royal court of mid-eighteenth century Berlin was a lively crossroad for some of the greatest musicians of the time. Court musicians and visitors were famous virtuosos performing music full of expressivity and fantasy. In Passacaille’s new release, Berlin Sonatas, the sonatas of J.C.F. Bach, C.P.E. Bach, C.F. Abel, Johann Kirnberger, and C.H. Graun each demonstrate the language of Sensibility (Empfindsamkeit): an expression of sadness, anger, wrath, joy, love, and praise.

In the works recorded here (many for the first time) in her second Passacaille recording Elinor Frey performs with Lorenzo Ghielmi and Marc Vanscheeuwijck. In her choice of Berlin Sonatas she really achieves a great quality of expression, an expression of the kind that helped make Berlin composers famous, especially for their rapturous Adagios and tuneful Allegros, each leaving ample space for the performer’s creativity.