Harpsichord Concertos [CD]

Active in the musical milieu of the mid-eighteenth century, Christoph Schaffrath belonged to the circle of composers who shaped the distinctive artistic profile of the Prussian court under Frederick the Great. A highly regarded keyboard virtuoso, Schaffrath served for many years as harpsichordist to Princess Anna Amalia, Frederick's sister and an important musical patron in her own right. His music reflects the stylistic transition of the mid-eighteenth century: while grounded in the structural clarity and contrapuntal discipline of the late Baroque, it increasingly embraces the melodic immediacy, expressive contrasts, and rhetorical gestures characteristic of the Empfindsamer Stil. In this recording, the Polish harpsichordist Anna Firlus joins forces with the period-instrument ensemble {oh} Orkiestra Historyczna, directed by Martyna Pastuszka. Their historically informed interpretation illuminates the elegance, expressive nuance, and vibrant musical imagination that characterize Schaffrath's contribution to the eighteenth-century harpsichord concerto.