Reissued Recording of The Music of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges Out June 18

On June 18, 2021, Tafelmusik will reissue its 2003 landmark recording devoted to the music of Joseph Bologne, the influential Black 18th century composer. With the goal of properly centering the composer's achievements, the digital audio release will be reissued under a new title, The Music of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges.

Tafelmusik has acknowledged that the original title (Le Mozart Noir) and the re-release artwork contributed to and facilitated the erasure of Joseph Bologne and his legacy. Newly commissioned album artwork by Toronto painter Gordon Shadrach and an essay by American conductor and Bologne scholar Marlon Daniel will accompany the re-release. The Music of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges will be available on major digital platforms starting June 18.

As part of its commitment to reframing and contextualizing the work of Saint-Georges, Tafelmusik has engaged Marlon Daniel as a consultant on this project. A champion of works by composers of African descent, he is the Artistic and Music Director of the Festival International de Musique Saint-Georges and has given numerous lectures on the composer in Europe, North America, the Caribbean, and at institutions that include Columbia and Yale Universities.

In addition to working with Tafelmusik on the album's reissue and penning a new forward, Daniel will moderate Joseph Bologne: Black & Classical, a Tafel Talks online panel discussion about the music of Saint-Georges at 7 pm EDT on May 19, 2021. Daniel and panelists Dr. Christine Gangelhoff (Nassau), violinist Tanya Charles Iveniuk (Toronto), and Tafelmusik violist Patrick G. Jordan (Toronto) will unpack Bologne's significance within past and current contexts and discuss the impact of systemic racism in music history. Tickets for Joseph Bologne: Black & Classical are $5 and are now on sale at tafelmusik.org.

"Tafelmusik is extremely grateful for the guidance and insight that Marlon Daniel has provided as we navigate the process around reframing and contextualizing our approach to the life and music of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges," said Carol Kehoe, Executive Director. "As the classical music world reckons with issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion, we invite you to join us in exploring the significant contributions of Joseph Bologne and the ways in which he continues to inspire us today."

Who was Joseph Bologne and why has his music been neglected for centuries? The son of a wealthy plantation owner and his mistress, an enslaved woman on the plantation in Guadeloupe, Bologne confronted enormous adversities around class and race throughout his life. He eventually rose to the pinnacle of Parisian society to become one of France's heroes and a highly regarded 18th-century musical figure.

Thanks to the work of a number of scholars, musicians, and BIPOC activists, the world is witnessing a resurgence of interest in Bologne and his music, including a new Disney film directed by Canadian Stephen Williams, whose credits include the films Soul Survivor and Milgaard and the televisions series Watchmen, Counterpart, and Westworld.

Tafelmusik's Music Director Emerita Jeanne Lamon was an early advocate of Bologne's music, which she programmed in concerts. Lamon also directed Tafelmusik in the original 2003 audio recording on CBC Records and DVD documentary produced by Media Headquarters. "His writing is very virtuosic and it's clear that he could move around the instrument very easily. He had no technical limitations whatsoever," Lamon said in the documentary, which has been broadcast on CBC, BBC, TV5, and ARTV among others. The film has garnered a number of distinctions including Winner of the Banff World Television Award, Finalist for the The Golden Rose of Montreux, and five Gemini Award Nominations.

The Music of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges digital album includes orchestral excerpts from the composer's opera L'amant anonyme, the Violin Concerto in D Major, op. 3, no. 1, and the Symphony in G Major, op. 11, no. 1 by Saint-Georges; the Allegro from the Violin Concerto in F Major, op. 10, no. 4 by Leclair; and the Symphony in D Major, op. 5, no. 5, "Pastorella" by Gossec. Jeanne Lamon, Linda Melsted, and Geneviève Gilardeau are the featured violin soloists.

Gordon Shadrach's brand-new portrait of Bologne, Opus 7, will grace the cover of the reissued digital album. The portrait is informed by Shadrach's lifelong fascination with the semiotics of clothing and its impact on culture. In particular, his interest lies in the intersection and codification of race and fashion- codes that impact the way we navigate through spaces and influence how people associate with one another. Shadrach's portraits of Black men utilize fashion-contemporary or historical dress-in order to pull viewers in to explore the biases embedded in North American culture. Shadrach seeks to disrupt the colonial constrictions of portraiture by inviting viewers to reflect upon the depiction of Black people in art and culture.

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