Sonata for flute and basso continuo in G Major (Op 3, No 2)

Giovanni Benedetto Platti (1697–1763) was an Italian composer, oboist, and multi-instrumentalist who spent most of his career in Germany. He is recognized as a pivotal figure in the transition from the High Baroque to the Classical era, particularly for his role in developing the keyboard sonata.
Born in Venice around 1697, Platti grew up in one of the most vibrant musical capitals of Europe. His father was a musician at St. Mark’s Basilica, providing Platti with an early and rigorous immersion in the Venetian school of music, and his upbringing in Venice coincides with the height of Antonio Vivaldi’s influence. Platti was exceptionally versatile from a young age. Although he was primarily hired as an oboist, he was also a virtuoso on the violin, cello, harpsichord, and flute, and was an accomplished singer.
In 1722, Platti moved to Würzburg to join the court of the Prince-Bishop Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn. He remained in Würzburg for the rest of his life, serving the Schönborn family for over 40 years. He was particularly favored by the Prince-Bishop’s brother, Rudolf Franz Erwein von Schönborn, a passionate amateur cellist. Much of Platti’s chamber music, including his cello and flute concertos, was composed specifically for the family’s private musical gatherings.
Platti's music is a distinctive synthesis of Italian lyricism and German structural rigor. His work prefigures the "Sensitive Style" (Empfindsamer Stil) associated with C.P.E. Bach.
His Six Flute Sonatas, Op. 3 (published in 1743), are essential works in the flute repertoire, noted for their technical demands and their bridge toward the emerging sonata form.