Joseph Boulogne Chevalier de SaintGeorges Helmut MuumlllerBruumlhl Cologne Chamber Orchestra - Chevalier de SaintGeorges Violin Concertos (9 tracks) +Album Reviews

Delightful music by a little known contemporary of Mozart

05/27/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a delightful disc of music by a little known composer of the late 18th century. Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, was, by all accounts, a remarkable individual. His father was a wealthy, upper class French plantation owner and parliamentarian, and his mother a black slave from Guadeloupe of Senegalese descent. In a remarkable age, St.-Georges was one if its most remarkable individuals, as he was an athlete, swordsman, huntsman, military commander, violinist and conductor, as well as a composer. He premiered the six "Paris" symphonies of Haydn, and was known in his day as the "black Mozart". It is amazing that in an era not known for its racial tolerance, St.-Georges advanced as far as he did, although he did have to face racism along the way, and always saw himself as an outsider.The three violin concertos on this disc were, like all his works in the genre, written for himself to play. While in many ways typical of French music of the time, they are nonetheless very beautiful works, particularly the slow movements, which have a grace and lyricism that are quite astonishing. Takako Nishizaki gives very fine peformances of these works, ably supported by the Cologne Chamber Orchestra under Helmut Mueller-Bruhl.I would very highly recommend this disc to anyone interested in music of the classical period. It is often very rewarding to explore the "footnotes" of music history, as the foonotes can sometimes be as enjoyable as the "main" text."

Found a gem!

penguin | Seattle, WA USA | 07/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One day I heard his Concerto in G major, Op.8 played by Nishizaki on the car radio and immediately fell in love. I had never heard of this composer... Well, you see, I'm not one of those who can indulge themselves with thousands of CDs/vinyl records in their own shelves... I have only a hundred or two. I feel like I found a gem!"

Chevalier de Saint-Georges

scarlatti11 | Killeen, TX United States | 07/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Composer, violinst, swordsman, and military expert;
Joseph Boulogne Chevalier de Saint-Georges(1739-1799)
has a unique place in music history,as the first and
only composer in classical music to be born a slave.
There were other colored composers in the 18th and 19th
centuries such as Meude-Monpas, but none of them actual
born slaves. Chevalier de Saint-George was born in the
island of Guadaloupe in the caribbean, to a former Metz
Parlement Councillor and a colored slave woman. Later Chevalier de Saint-George went to France and
settled in Paris, he later conducted the premiere of
Haydn's Paris symphonies. He had a faily good military
career too, though later he was sent to prison for eighteen
months for military reasons, he was released and banned
from living anywhere near his leggionaires. His small output
is testimony of his great gifts as a composer and violinist.
Chevalier de Saint-Georges is one of my favorite composers."

Flashing Saber, Slashing Bow

Giordano Bruno | Wherever I am, I am. | 09/29/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-George (1739-1799), was the son of a French sugar planter and his slave, a Wolof woman born in Africa. At age ten, Boulogne arrived in Paris and started lessons in music, riding, and fencing. I haven't found any indication of what became of his mother. Obviously, Boulogne lived a life of both privilege and prejudice, and it was the latter which eventually stunted his musical opportunities. He was an interesting character, one whose biography needs to be written by someone of the literary skill of Dumas.

The question to be asked, however, is whether his compositions are as fascinating as his character. Perhaps not, but they are bright and and shapely, and quite as entertaining as most violin concerti of his era. The concerto was still at that time largely a professional show-piece for the virtuosity of the violinist/composer; judging by these, Boulogne must have been a formidable fiddler. And if he was a swordsman as quick with the saber as with the bow, he must have been fun to watch. In fact, for most of his mature life, after his musical hopes were dashed, he supported himself by giving fencing exhibitions.

My evaluation of his compositional skills is hampered by the performance on this CD. Takako Nishizaki is, according to the CD notes, the best-known and best-selling performer of Chinese violin music, and had recorded more than 100 CDs. She's certainly not without technique, but that technique is not Baroque or Rococo in sensibility. There's some "concert hall" quality to her playing of these "salon" concerti that just doesn't captivate my affections. I'd love to hear Boulogne performed by a period ensemble of the quality of Les Arts Florissants. Meanwhile to compare the chevalier to Mozart merely because of his race does his stature as an artful minor composer no service."

Fabulous!!

R. Harvey | georgia, USA | 07/17/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As others have previously noted in their bios of Chevalier de Saint-Georges, his life was a remarkable tale of overcoming obstacles in a time when tolerance for those of color was basically predetermined. He has a street named after him in Paris, France.

The CD of the violin concertos are absolutely enigmatic. I was amazed at how modern the pieces sound. The slow movements are very bright, concise, and similar to largo movements found of many great composers. I would highly recommend this to others as a way to understand history and expand your repetoire of great composers."

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