LE NYMPHO DI RHENO

A staged work for one dancer and two gambas

Johannes Schenck was one of the most popular gambists of his time. His playing was praised in numerous poems, as in – “no one has touched this instrument with more delicacy than he.” His fame was such that Count Johann Wilhelm II, a passionate amateur gambist, invited him to become a court musician at his home in Düsseldorf. Schenk dedicated his Le Nympho di rheno, a collection for two equal gambas, to his patron, and it’s possible they played these pieces together.

Schenck’s duos for gamba were inspired by the polyphonic string music tradition and are characterized by the graceful elegance of French dances. The suggestive titles of the works in Le Nympho di rheno dictate the direction of the choreography and the dancer’s gestures.