Johann Joachim Quantz is a name best known amongst flute players.
For the uninitiated (admittedly, most of us), the eighteenth-century German-born composer is considered to be one of the great innovators of the instrument. He wrote hundreds of flute sonatas and concertos to showcase his own talent, impressing the likes of Bach, Haydn and Mozart.
Following a three-year grand tour of Europe, including lauded performances in Rome, Paris and London, Quantz was invited to serve as a composer, flute-player and flute-maker in the court of Frederick II, ‘The Great’, King of Prussia -- himself an amateur flautist, who reportedly practiced up to four hours a day.
Royal concerts provided Quantz ample opportunity to continually push the boundaries of form and function in his music as well as on his specially designed instruments.
Hence, we typically see him with instrument in hand, or at least nearby, in many of his portraits.
Hear the Quantz: 4 Flute Concertos played by James Galway with the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn directed by Jörg Faerber in regular rotation on Winnipeg's Classic 107.
