In the 18th century, Leufsta Bruk – some 140 kilometres northwest of Stockholm – was the centre of a major industry producing iron both for Swedish needs and for export, governed by the descendants of Louis De Geer. Highly cultured and musical, the family gathered together a remarkable collection of musical scores, a collection which mirrors the development of music and music publishing on the Continent.

Presenting a sample from the Leufsta collection, this disc contains music by international stars – Tartini and Handel – as well as less familiar names, such as the London-based German composer Gottfried Keller and the Swedish composers Johan Helmich Roman and Hinrich Philip Johnsen.

Bringing these musical treasures to life is the Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble, whose many recordings on BIS have created a following around the world. The forerunner of the present disc (Musical Treasures of Leufsta Bruk I, BISCD1526) was described as a ‘superbly performed … unique collection of pieces demonstrating an eclectic and aristocratic taste of the early 18th century’ by MusicWeb International.