Following their acclaimed recording of C.P.E. Bach's Hamburg Symphonies (BIS-2459), the period-instrument ensemble Arte dei Suonatori and conductor/harpsichordist Marcin Swiatkiewicz turn to an earlier set of works, the six Berlin Symphonies composed between 1755 and 1758. Even at this stage, C.P.E. Bach's music is full of sudden contrasts, unexpected turns and intense emotional expression, embodying the Empfindsamkeit style that profoundly shaped a generation of composers. For this recording the ensemble has chosen the symphonies' original versions for strings and continuo, before wind parts were later added, making this the first complete recording to present all six works in that scoring. Performed by a compact, one-player-per-part ensemble, the music gains immediacy and transparency, with Swiatkiewicz and his musicians drawing on historical performance practice to explore the close ties between music, poetry, speech rhythms and dance.