On April 9, 1786, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach conducted a charity concert in Hamburg featuring three of his finest and most representative works: The Symphony Wq 183/1, the Magnificat (written in 1749 in the hope of succeeding his father as Cantor in Leipzig) and his stupendous Heilig for double choir, of which he wrote, "It will be my swan song of this kind, and will serve to ensure that I shall not soon be forgotten after my death." Released to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the composer's birth, this recording recreating the program of this historic concert confirms the prophetic nature of the composer's words. Hans-Christoph Rademann leads the RIAS Kammerchor, Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin and a stellar cast of soloists (including soprano Elizabeth Watts) in definitive recordings of these fascinating and innovative works.