I Allegro
II Aria con Variatione 

The Chevalier de Saint-George was born Joseph Bologne. His father, George, was a wealthy French plantation owner in Guadeloupe; his mother was an enslaved person and George’s mistress. When Joseph was eight his father took him to France and enrolled him in an elite boarding school, where his extraordinary athletic and musical talents emerged. At 18 he became an officer in Louis XV’s court and assumed the title of Chevalier. From then on, he excelled on dual paths. He took part in fencing exhibitions throughout his life, and many considered him the finest fencer in Europe. His musical life thrived too: he was a greatly admired violinist, composer and conductor, directing several of Paris’s leading orchestras, including conducting the premieres of Haydn’s six ’Paris’ symphonies, as well as playing piano and violin duets with Marie Antoinette.  

Saint-George composed 14 violin concertos, two symphonies and many sonatas, string quartets, songs and operas. The B flat Sonata is from a set of six sonatas for two violins that were published posthumously in 1800. Like the Chevalier himself, this two-movement Sonata, while brief, is elegant, technically assured, virtuosic and full of life. Musical lines pass effortlessly between the two violins in the nimble, harmonious opening movement, which takes a surprising minor turn in the development. The ‘Aria con Variatione’ begins quietly with a graceful song and ends with a bang, with a virtuosic third variation that is as dazzling as it is fun.