The ensemble "Echo du Danube" was formed by Viennese gambist Christian Zincke, who also directs this recording.
Compositional Technique
The twelve sonatas in this collection are divided into four groups, each with a distinct instrumentation, allowing Finger to give each group its own unique idiom.
Critical Reception
In 1700, Finger competed in a London opera competition but was disappointed to place fourth, leading him to leave England shortly after.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The composer Gottfried Finger's Opus 1 sonatas are characterized by a confident and vital style, combining virtuosity with harmonic, melodic, and contrapuntal invention.
Composer Biography
Gottfried Finger, the composer, was born in Olmütz (now Olomouc in Moravia) and was likely employed there as a viola da gamba player in his youth.
Historical Context
Finger's birthplace, Olmütz, was near Kremsier (Kromeríž), which housed one of the most renowned court orchestras in German-speaking countries, led by figures like Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber.
Composition History
Gottfried Finger published his Opus 1, the Sonatae XII pro diversis instrumentis, in London and Amsterdam in 1688, dedicating it to King James II of England.
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