Concerto Armonico is a period instrument ensemble, which like its director the harpsichordist Miklós Spányi, came out of Budapest’s Franz Liszt Academy, where it was formed in 1983. Joined here by co-founder Péter Szu˝ts and keyboardists Tamás Szekendy and Cristiano Holtz, it performs Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s three innovative works for two keyboards and orchestra. This is the 20th and final volume in a highly acclaimed survey of the complete keyboard concertos of CPE Bach (1714-88), and provides a fitting end to such an endeavor in this 300th birthday year of the composer. Throughout, the performances are first-rate, exhibiting the same energy and razor-sharp precision which characterizes those of previous volumes.

The program, in which Márta Ábrahám leads an orchestra variously comprising strings, flutes, oboes, horns, trumpets and timpani, opens with one of the last works Bach wrote, the Concerto in E Flat for harpsichord and fortepiano (1788). Here Spányi uses a swell device to muffle his harpsichord so as not to overpower Szekendy’s silvery-toned 1798 Broadwood, and the results are magical. Though this is less a witty, sparkling interplay between two equals than a conversation that rises above the pleasant din of the orchestra and is occasionally interrupted by interjections from winds and strings. It’s utterly delightful and must be enormous fun to play.

The Concerto in F for two harpsichords, from nearly half a century earlier, is equally delightful. This time Cristiano Holtz joins Spányi; especially memorable is the opening Allegro, in which the crisp tirades and double-dotting typical of the French overture style are executed with great panache and joie de vivre. The final work, the Sonatina in D, is remarkable for its expanded orchestration, which includes oboes, three trumpets and timpani. The players exploit the potential for big contrasts, providing a perfect close to a wonderful recording, and a wonderful series.