In this programme for flute, violin, cello, keyboard, we set off on an exploration of J.S. Bach’s ‘Das Musikalische Opfer’, based on a theme given to him as a challenge by KingFrederick II of Prussia, who was a flautist and keen musician himself. The theme is chromatic, bizarre, and at first sight looks impossible to work with; yet Bach juggles with it and conjures up numerous pieces, using various ingenious compositional devices such as augmenting or reversing the theme. Canons and fugues from The Musical Offering, arranged for this combination of instruments by Silasn Wollston, are interwoven in this programme with other works written in the court of Frederick the Great, including C.P.E. Bach and Graun. We culminate with the glorious trio sonata which crowns J.S. Bach’s extraordinary Offering, curated by Jean Paterson.