Johannes Schenck (1660-c. 1712) was one of the most highly esteemed virtuosos and influential composers for the viola da gamba. In previous reviews, colleagues David Vernier and David Preiser lavished well-deserved praise on Schenck (type Q2498, 2750, and 3430 in review search), and like those recordings this Hungaroton disc containing the first four sonatas from Schenck’s Suite L’Echo du Danube offers substantial rewards. For instance, in the fifth-movement Allegro of the first sonata Schenck has great fun in evolving the rhythmically charged theme into a fascinating polyphonic fugue. The fourth-movement Prestissimo of the fourth sonata also impresses by combining bold gestures with a staid rhythmic structure in what must be one of the most beguilingly inelegant and often quite humorous displays in the Baroque repertoire. Quieter, more pensive movements are equally stylish and well crafted, such as the lovely first- and fourth-movement Adagios of the second sonata. These are only a few examples of many that demonstrate that what Schenck lacked as an innovator he more than made up for in his ability to creatively fuse French, English, German, and especially Italian stylistic elements to remarkably beautiful ends.
