Franz Benda: Violin Sonatas

Leila Schayegh (violin), Václav Luks (harpsichord, fortepiano), Felix Knecht (cello) Glossa GCD 922507

The Bohemian composer Franz (originally Frantisek) Benda (1709-1786) spent 53 years in the service of the man who became Frederick the Great, and claimed in his autobiography that he had played in more

than 10,000 flute concertos with his employer! Benda, who originally trained as a singer, was a celebrated violinist, famous for the decorations he improvised in slow movements. The four highly contrasted violin sonatas recorded here come from a manuscript collection of 34 in the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, and the pieces include decorations not only in slow movements but also in fast ones. Swiss violinist Leila Schayegh seems to have the

lilt and flow of the sometimes lavish ornamentations in her blood, although she does sometimes sound under strain in the higher reaches explored by Benda. url.ie/5afh