Sonata for flute in D Major

J.G. Müthel: Sonata for flute and basso continuo in D major is a late-Baroque masterwork rediscovered in 1958, and is considered a foundational example of the Empfindsamer Stil (sensitive style) in flute literature. While Müthel's first works appeared in print in 1756, scholars believe this sonata was likely composed around 1753. This date marks his permanent relocation to Riga (now Latvia), where he spent the remainder of his career. The piece was largely unknown for nearly 200 years until it was brought back to light in 1958 by editor Johann Philipp Hinnenthal, who discovered an autograph manuscript.
In 1753, Müthel was the conductor of a private orchestra for the political patron Otto Hermann von Vietinghoff in Riga, and the work was likely first performed in that setting. The year 1753 was a pivotal turning point for Müthel. After several years of travel following the death of his mentor J.S. Bach in 1750, Müthel moved from Mecklenburg-Schwerin to Riga to join his brother, Anton Christian. Müthel had recently completed his studies in Leipzig as J.S. Bach's final student, having even notated works for the master on his deathbed.
In the early 1750s, Müthel established a lifelong friendship and correspondence with Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. The influence of C.P.E. Bach’s Sturm und Drang and Empfindsamer Stil is clearly reflected in the emotional variability and rhetorical depth of the D Major Sonata.