Sonatae Pro Diversis Instrumentis Op.1

Gottfried Finger: Sonatae Pro Diversis Instrumentis Op. 1, Finger / Echo Du Danube, Release Date: 10/25/2011, Composer: Gottfried Finger, Conductor: Christian Zincke, Orchestra/Ensemble: Ensemble Echo du Danube, Number of Discs: 1. Echo du Danube is a well established, pan-European period instrument ensemble with four previous titles on the Accent label to it's credit; all of them garnered favorable responses from Fanfare reviewers J. F. Weber, Bertil van Boer and Michael Carter. I have nothing but the highest admiration for the performances on this disc. Depending on the scoring, there are as many as three violinists and one violist in the mix; the upper strings are expressive, supple, and suave. Director Christian Zincke also functions as the bass viola da gamba player, and together with keyboardist Lutz Gillmann they provide a solid underpinning for the group. Gillmann alternates between harpsichord and chamber organ; I find the sonority of the latter especially appropriate in the context of the string ensemble. Ample annotations and a thoroughly natural-sounding engineering job complete the picture. Another fine addition to the already extensive Accent catalog. Highly recommended.