Thursday, May 6, 2021

Tafelmusik: The Music of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Landmark Recording to be Reissued in Digital Audio on June 18


 


The Music of Joseph Bologne, 

Chevalier de Saint-Georges


Landmark recording devoted to influential 

Black 18th century composer 

to be reissued on June 18

Countdown to reissue includes 

Joseph Bologne: Black & Classical 
Tafel Talks online panel discussion 

and the unveiling of a new portrait 

of Bologne by Toronto 

painter Gordon Shadrach


Toronto, May 5, 2021 … 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.

Marlon Daniel

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.
 
Image credits: 
1. Detail from “Opus 7” portrait of Joseph
Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges by
Gordon Shadrach
2. Marlon Daniel photo by Bob Estremera
Listing information:

TAFEL TALKS:
Joseph Bologne: Black & Classical
The music, life and legacy of the 
18th-century violinist and 
composer
May 19, 2021 at 7 pm EDT online
Panel discussion with Dr. Christine 
Gangelhoff, Tanya Charles Iveniuk, 
and Patrick G. Jordan, moderated 
by Marlon Daniel
Discussion will be followed by a 
short Q&A

Who was Joseph Bologne and 
why has his music been 
neglected for centuries? Our 
conversation explores the music, 
life, and legacy of the influential 
Black violinist and composer, 
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier 
de Saint-Georges. Our panel of 
contributors from New York, 
Nassau, and Toronto will unpack 
Bologne’s significance within 
past and current contexts and 
discuss the impact of systemic 
racism in music history.
 
Ticket price: $5  
Website:
tafelmusik.org



ABOUT THE TAFEL TALKS PANELISTS

Dr. Christine Gangelhoff (Nassau), leading 
scholar on Caribbean classical composers, 
flutist, and founder of C Force chamber 
ensemble. Associate Professor of Music at 
The University of The Bahamas and 
author of the textbook Tour de Force: 
A Musical Journey of the Caribbean.

Tanya Charles Iveniuk (Toronto), violinist 
with roots in Saint Vincent and the 
Grenadines and member of Ensemble du 
Monde (Ensemble-in-Residence at the 
Festival International de Musique 
Saint-Georges), Toronto Mozart Players, 
Sinfonia Toronto, and the Odin Quartet. 
Faculty member at University of Toronto-
Faculty of Music, The Regent Park School 
of Music, and Axis Music.

Patrick Jordan (Toronto), Tafelmusik 
violist and member of the Eybler Quartet 
and Gallery Players of Niagara. 
Faculty member at the Glenn Gould 
School.

ABOUT MARLON DANIEL

American conductor Marlon Daniel is 
a protégé of the renowned Finnish 
pedagogue Jorma Panula. He has 
been described as “a natural and 
enormous talent” by the Chicago 
Sun-Times and as “fabulous and 
exceptional” by Pravda – 
Moscow. He is one of the most 
dynamic conductors of his 
generation and is a bright light 
for diversity in the world of 
classical music. He has performed 
in prestigious venues in Asia, 
Europe and the United States, from 
Carnegie Hall to the Rudolfinum.

A laureate of the 2018 Bucharest 
Symphony Orchestra 
International Conducting 
Competition, he has also been a 
recipient of the ‘Voice of the 
Artist’ Award from the United 
Nations in recognition of his 
charitable work bringing 
awareness to the crisis in Darfur
and an Honorary Key to the 
City of Chicago for Outstanding 
Musical Achievement. Recently, 
he has made acclaimed 
débuts with Chineke! in 
London, the Havana Lyceum 
Orchestra, Sofia Sinfonietta, 
Tatarstan National Symphony 
Orchestra and the Orquesta 
Sinfónica Nacional de Cuba, 
where he was the first 
American to date invited since 
President Barack Obama’s 
historic lifting of the U.S. 
embargo in 2015, and the 
only African American to 
conduct the orchestra in its 
sixty-year history.

He is the world’s foremost 
exponent and interpreter of 
the music of Chevalier de 
Saint-Georges and a 
champion of works by living 
composers, especially of 
African descent. His 
recording “Phoenix Forever” 
(music of Hampson Sisler) 
on the MSR Classics label 
received rave reviews and 
was in consideration for a 
2011 GRAMMY.

He has held positions as 
Associate Conductor of the 
Praga Sinfonietta, Principal 
Guest Conductor of the 
Pazardzhik Symphony 
Orchestra and has been a 
Guest Lecturer at Yale 
University. Currently, he 
is Artistic and Music 
Director of the Festival 
International de Musique 
Saint-Georges, Music 
Director of Ensemble du 
Monde (chamber orchestra), 
Director of the Diversity in 
Classical Music Program 
at Teachers College, 
Columbia University and 
has recently joined the 
faculty Fordham University 
as Director of Orchestral 
Ensembles.

Next season, he will 
make débuts at the 
prestigious Havana Mozart 
Festival, Opera Créole in 
New Orleans and release 
a new CD on the French 
label, Alpha Records. 

ABOUT GORDON SHADRACH

Toronto-based artist Gordon 
Shadrach was born and 
raised in Brampton, 
Ontario in 1966. Gordon 
started painting in 2013 
and paints in oil and acrylic 
on wood. He has exhibited 
in solo and group art 
shows in Canada and the 
United States. He works 
from photographs at his 
in-home studio. He 
received his B. Des. 
(MAAD) from OCAD 
University and has a 
Master of Education 
degree from Niagara 
University. In the Spring 
of 2018, Gordon’s 
painting, “In Conversation”, 
was included in an exhibit 
developed by the Royal 
Ontario Museum titled, 
“Here We Are Here: 
Black Canadian 
Contemporary Art” and 
toured to Montreal and 
Halifax. His work is 
currently exhibited 
through the 
United Contemporary 
Gallery in Toronto. 

ABOUT TAFELMUSIK
Led by Music Director Elisa Citterio and Executive
Director Carol Kehoe, Tafelmusik is an orchestra,
choir, and experience that celebrates beauty
through music of the past.


Founded over 40 years ago on the pillars of
passion, learning, and artistic excellence,
Tafelmusik continues to bring new energy to
baroque music and beyond. Historically
informed performances of 17th- to 19th-century
instrumental and choral music (led by Chamber
Choir director Ivars Taurins) share the stage with
vibrant, insightful multimedia programs, and bold
new music written just for the group. Each piece is
played on period instruments, underscored and
illuminated by scholarship. 


Through dynamic performances, international
touring, award-winning recordings, and
comprehensive education programs, Tafelmusik
invites audiences to engage with beauty and
experience the breadth of emotion music can
inspire.

No comments:

Post a Comment