Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799), was born on the French-Caribbean island of Guadeloupe as the son of an enslaved woman and a French plantation owner. At the age eight he was educated in France, and by the age of 17 he had become an officer of the king’s guard and given the title “Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges”. His first claim to fame came actually as the best fencer in France. However, he was also a virtuoso violinist, conductor, and an accomplished composer. His incredible life story is why it comes as no surprise that later in 2023 a major film about his life story is set to premiere. In 1974, long before the modern renewed interest in his life story and music, the French violinist Jean-Jacques Kantorow, conductor Bernard Thomas and his L’Orchestre de Chambre Bernard Thomas recorded two of his Violin Concertos for the Musical Heritage Society. These recordings were some of the earliest introductions to Bologne’s music in the U.S. and until now were only available on now, out-of-print, vinyl recordings. Orpheus is thrilled to have remastered these important recordings in high resolution audio for digital download and streaming for the very first time.
