Intelligent and varied programming, well-articulated notes explaining the program, a tight and energetic performance given by an established ensemble all add up to one thing: a terrific album. A derivation of the Berlin Staatskapelle, this smaller group calling itself Preussens Hofmusik (music of the Prussian court), performs on all modern orchestral instruments, but the sound is pleasingly much more like a highly energetic period-instrument ensemble. The playing is extremely well-unified. Balance and sound quality on the album are terrific; the harpsichord, which is too often lost to the power of modern instruments, is clearly present on this recording. Listeners can truly imagine themselves being transported to the court of Frederick the Great as they are treated to a program of works the King was quite likely to have heard. Making note of the tremendous influence of the Bach family, this album includes an excerpt from the elder Bach's Musical Offering, based on a theme given to him by Frederick, as well as two of Johann Sebastian's musical sons, Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emanuel. The Bach family is bookended by a sumptuously energetic performance of a Graun overture at the beginning and wrapped up with a sprightly early Haydn symphony.