Matthias Höfs, one of Germany’s leading trumpet players, pays tribute to C.P.E. Bach - as the year of the composer’s 300th anniversary comes to a close - with an enterprising disc of sonatas for other instruments arranged for trumpet and basso continuo.

Music lovers generally associate “trumpet” and “Bach” with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, in which the instrument, with its polished and refined sound, plays a prominent role. But here Matthias Höfs shows just how well the modern piccolo trumpet is suited to the distinctive style of chamber music composed by his son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, especially when instrumental mastery and musical empathy are combined with such an inspired, personal way of playing. In harpsichordist Wolfgang Zerer and bassoonist Christian M. Kuner, Höfs has two outstanding musical partners on what is his first recording for the ES-DUR label. For “Hommage!” the musicians have selected a wide range of works from the wealth of chamber music by C.P.E. Bach. From a pair of sonatas for flute and harpsichord to the Sonata for flute and basso continuo, Wq. 12, and all the way to the Six Little Sonatas for harpsichord, clarinet and bassoon, Wq. 92, the pieces are given a fascinating new colouring in these arrangements. Listeners can hear how flexibly today’s piccolo trumpet can combine with a harpsichord, as well as marvelling at the beautiful sounds achieved with the addition of a continuo bassoon.