The first mixed-race American composer and an indefatigable adventurer, Chevalier de Saint-George has been rediscovered through the remarkable quality of his music. Born in Guadeloupe, the son of a white plantation owner and an enslaved woman of African origin, he was educated in France and became one of the finest violinists of his time, as well as a conductor, opera director, and Music Master to Marie Antoinette. An exceptional fencer and revolutionary, he founded in 1792 the Free American Cavalry Legion, composed of free Black and mixed-race Caribbean soldiers, of which he served as colonel.

While his destiny as an “artist-soldier” captures the imagination, it is above all the sensitivity of his writing that remains at the heart of this musical portrait today. This program reveals a little-known Saint-George, far removed from mere displays of technical virtuosity. Between deeply moving lyricism and a profound sense of theater, his music paints soundscapes of rare diversity: from concert arias of ethereal sweetness to fiery dance suites. Rare pages, drawn from both intimate and solemn contexts, reveal the art of the “perfect touch” of a composer who knew better than anyone how to create atmospheres of striking thematic effectiveness.

Théotime Langlois de Swarte, the soloists, and the Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal bring back to life this flamboyant figure, forgotten for two centuries: was he the “Black Mozart”?

Royal Opera Production

With the exceptional support of the Fondation des Amis de l’Opéra Royal / Académie des Beaux-Arts

Excerpts from the opera L’Amant anonyme and the Violin Concerto in C major.

PRESTIGE VIP CATEGORY : Best seats in house, a complimentary glass of champagne is included.

PRESTIGE CATEGORY : Excellent seats, a complimentary glass of champagne is included.

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