A celebration concert to mark the 300th birthday of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach on Saturday March 8, 2014. Some people might say that such an anniversary is hardly worth mentioning, given that the composer belonged to what has often been scathingly referred to as the "pre�-Classical" generation, as if that were just a prelude to the "really important" era in classical music. However, the word is now out: Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's music, with its sensitive aural texture, is a harbinger for the Classical style and even for what came after it, though judging by the content of many concert programmes, word has not yet spread far enough.

So surely that is good grounds for a special concert on the great composer's birthday at which his full-length Passion Cantata Die letzten Leiden des Erlosers was performed in Berlin's Konzerthaus. Played under the baton of Hartmut Haenchen by the CPE Bach Chamber Orchestra and sung by the RIAS Chamber Choir and famous soloists, it was an impressive occasion - released as a live recording on two CDs.

The concert is also noteworthy for the fact that it was one of the last opportunities to hear the legendary chamber orchestra play the music of their patron live, as it takes its leave of the music world on 1st May 2014 with a concert of works by Mozart and then disband. This is a sad loss and means that we will in future have to resort to CDs in order to hear this ensemble and its conductor.