Le Caravansérail, Frank Theuns, Sophie Gent, Bertrand Cuiller - A Musical Offering (2026)

It was in 1747 that Johann Sebastian Bach received an invitation from King Frederic II of Prussia. Bach travelled with Wilhelm Friedmann – his eldest son – to Potsdam, where Carl Philipp Emanuel, his second eldest son, was accompanist to the king's court. This was the famous visit during which Johann Sebastian improvised a ricercar or fugue in three voices on a theme supplied by the monarch and later led him to compose the Musical Offering.

This recording presents sections of Bach's Musical Offering, including the Trio Sonata, side by side with Trios by both Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philip Emanuel. The intention was to shed light on the familial character of Bach's visit to Potsdam and Berlin in 1747 and its musical consequences. The importance of this gathering between the three most famous members of the Bach family and the impact it had on their respective lives and careers cannot be overestimated. For Johann Sebastian himself, however, this was to be brief: he died three years later in 1750.

Tracklist
1. Le Caravansérail, Frank Theuns, Sophie Gent, Bertrand Cuiller - Anonymous: Thema Regium (From Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079)
2. Le Caravansérail, Frank Theuns, Sophie Gent, Bertrand Cuiller - Bach: Sonata a Flauto Traverso, Violino e Basso, Wq. 143: I. Allegro
3. Le Caravansérail, Frank Theuns, Sophie Gent, Bertrand Cuiller - Bach: Sonata a Flauto Traverso, Violino e Basso, Wq. 143: II. Adagio
4. Le Caravansérail, Frank Theuns, Sophie Gent, Bertrand Cuiller - Bach: Sonata a Flauto Traverso, Violino e Basso, Wq. 143: III. Presto
5. Le Caravansérail, Frank Theuns, Sophie Gent, Bertrand Cuiller - Bach: Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Ricercar a 3
6. Le Caravansérail, Frank Theuns, Sophie Gent, Bertrand Cuiller - Bach: Sonata a Flauto Traverso e Cembalo obligato, BWV 1032: I. Vivace
7. Le Caravansérail, Frank Theuns, Sophie Gent, Bertrand Cuiller - Bach: Sonata a Flauto Traverso e Cembalo obligato, BWV 1032: II. Largo e dolce
8. Le Caravansérail, Frank Theuns, Sophie Gent, Bertrand Cuiller - Bach: Sonata a Flauto Traverso e Cembalo obligato, BWV 1032: III. Allegro
9. Le Caravansérail, Frank Theuns, Sophie Gent, Bertrand Cuiller - Bach: Trio a 2 Flauti e Cembalo, Fk 49: I. Allegro
10. Le Caravansérail, Frank Theuns, Sophie Gent, Bertrand Cuiller - Bach: Trio a Cembalo Obligato e Violino, Wq. 72: I. Adagio ma non tanto
11. Le Caravansérail, Frank Theuns, Sophie Gent, Bertrand Cuiller - Bach: Trio a Cembalo Obligato e Violino, Wq. 72: II. Allegro
12. Le Caravansérail, Frank Theuns, Sophie Gent, Bertrand Cuiller - Bach: Trio a Cembalo Obligato e Violino, Wq. 72: III. Allegro
13. Le Caravansérail, Frank Theuns, Sophie Gent, Bertrand Cuiller - Bach: Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Sonata sopr'il soggetto Reale a traversa, violino e continuo: I. Largo
14. Le Caravansérail, Frank Theuns, Sophie Gent, Bertrand Cuiller - Bach: Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Sonata sopr'il soggetto Reale a traversa, violino e continuo: II. Allegro
15. Le Caravansérail, Frank Theuns, Sophie Gent, Bertrand Cuiller - Bach: Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Sonata sopr'il soggetto Reale a traversa, violino e continuo: III. Andante
16. Le Caravansérail, Frank Theuns, Sophie Gent, Bertrand Cuiller - Bach: Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Sonata sopr'il soggetto Reale a traversa, violino e continu: IV. Allegro
17. Le Caravansérail, Frank Theuns, Sophie Gent, Bertrand Cuiller - Bach: Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Canon perpetuus super thema Regium

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