The three composers represented here all lived in the times of Frederick II of Prussia, the musician-king (and philosopher, and poet, and soldier, amongst other things): all of them lived in Berlin, a stone's throw from the royal palace of Potsdam; and Graun was even Konzertmeister to the monarch until his own death in 1741. As for Johann Gottlieb Janitsch, he worked as much for the court as he did for the musical world of Berlin, where he would institute the famous weekly performance by the Königliche, Prinzliche, Markgräfliche Kammer- und andere geschickte Privatmusicis und Liebhabern or: "Musicians Royal, Princely, Margravial, of the Chamber, and other skilled players private and amateur". Christian Gottfried Krause was one of these geschickte Privatmusicis und Liebhabern: alongside his job as a lawyer, he was also making a name for himself as a musician. We know that Frederick II of Prussia was a skilled flautist, and so a number of works by his entourage included the flute. But the pieces on offer here revolve rather more around the oboe, which is a rather less frequent choice as a solo part. These works run from the late baroque all the way to the galant style, by way of Empfindsamkeit, all played by the excellent oboist Christopher Palameta, with the support of the ensemble Notturna. Palameta a copy of an English oboe from 1720; the ensemble's flautist a copy based on Quantz – yes, yes, the same Quantz who tutored Frederick II. © SM/Qobuz