This programme proposes a portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach`s most talented and surprising son, Carl Philipp Emanuel (1714-1788). Held in high esteem during his lifetime by Haydn, Gluck and Mozart, at present, he appears as a totally original genius. `A musician cannot move others unless he himself is moved: it is essential that he feel all the moods that he wishes to arouse in listeners? In the languid, sad spots, he will become languid and sad; that will have to be heard and seen.` With these remarks, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach affirms his vision of music that is meant to be the expression of personal feelings.

To do so, he does not hesitate in revolutionising established principles on form, harmony, and rhythm, with abrupt key changes, uneven breadths of phrase, vigorous, and unexpected contrasts conducive to moving the public in direct fashion.

The Sinfonia in C major expresses multiple affects, ranging from irrepressible suffering in the Adagio to joyous release and insouciance in the concluding Allegretto, tinged with near-Mozartian grace. The Cello Concerto in B flat reveals the influence of the waning Baroque era and Vivaldi in particular. The Sinfonia in E minor, nicknamed `Fandango` and dating from his Berlin years, is commonly regarded as one of his finest symphonies. The particularly virtuosic Sonata for cello piccolo and keyboard shows to advantage the two soloists of this recording: Ophelie Gaillard and Francesco Corti, whose fieriness is further revealed in the Harpsichord Concerto in D minor.