The German composer Joseph Martin Kraus, spent much of his working life in Stockholm and may be considered one of the most innovative and unusual composers of the eighteenth century. In comparison with many of his contemporaries, Kraus wrote a relatively small amount of music for pianoforte as represented on this recording. However, what he lacked in output he made up for in sheer quality. While absorbing the numerous popular styles of the time, Kraus’ unique output features many unexpected and dramatic stylistic and harmonic devices that anticipate music of the following century.