John Hingeston - Fantasy-Suites (Echo du Danube Ensemble)

Information

Composer: John Hingeston

• Suite No. 2 à 6 in F Major
• Suite No. 3 in A Minor
• Suite No. 1 à 5 in F Major
• Suite in G Minor/Major
• Suite No. 8 in D Minor
• Suite No. 2 à 5 in G Minor
• Suite No. 1 in A Minor
• Suite in C Minor
• Suite No. 6 in D Minor
• Suite No. 1 à 6 in A Minor

Echo du Danube Ensemble

Christian Zincke, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: CPO

_____________________

John Hingeston (1606–1683) was a prominent seventeenth-century English composer, organist, and violist whose career spanned major political shifts, serving both Oliver Cromwell and the restored monarchy. Uniquely financially secure during a volatile era for musicians, Hingeston acted as Master of Music to Cromwell and later managed the royal wind instruments, mentoring a young Henry Purcell. Renowned for his advocacy of underprivileged colleagues and his excellence as an educator, he left behind a substantial catalog of melodious chamber music. His innovative compositions for strings and organ serve as a vital historical bridge connecting Orlando Gibbons to John Blow and Purcell.

Founded by Viennese gambist Christian Zincke and named after a 1709 sonata collection by Johann Schenck, Echo du Danube is a premier early music ensemble dedicated to seventeenth-century chamber repertoire. Comprising core musicians on violin, harpsichord, lute, and viola da gamba, the group frequently expands with psalterio and harp to explore Baroque and Renaissance programs. Echo du Danube has performed at major international festivals and provided the basso continuo for the Frankfurt Opera. Grounded in meticulous archival research, the ensemble fulfills a vital cultural responsibility by discovering forgotten historical works, broadcasting them via German public radio, and publishing them through Walhall Edition.