23. Coffee Concert

Ensemble Diderot is renowned for its inventive programmes. Here they have created a programme for mid-eighteenth century Berlin that ignores the flute-playing King Frederick the Great for whom Bach and so many other composers of that era wrote new works. In a sense the programme cannot escape the musical monarch for he was responsible for bringing so many fine musicians to his city. Somewhat like Berlin today a place where musicians gather leads to much music-making and Frederick’s Berlin provided many opportunities for concerts similar to Leipzig’s Café Zimmermann. Critically for us the situation encouraged chamber music in the form of trio sonatas including programme music based on the two characters, depressive Melancholicus and hot-headed Sanguineus conversing with each other.