The Berlin Trio will present a set of quartets featuring the enchanting and unusual instrumentation of flute, viola, and fortepiano. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach composed these distinctive quartets in 1788, and they embody the expressive and innovative style characteristic of Berlin court composers during this transitional period between the late Baroque and early Classical eras. The writing is equitable for all three instruments, with elegant motives and virtuosic embellishments gracefully exchanged between them. Autographs from arts patron Sara Levy’s personal library suggest that she commissioned these quartets for her salon, which served as a hub for intellectuals, attracting some of the most talented composers associated with King Frederick “the Great’s” court.

The Berlin Trio

Mary Oleskiewicz, baroque flute

Georgina McKay Lodge, viola

David Schulenberg, fortepiano