Avenira’s series of works by the neglected French-Caribbean composer/violinist/military officer Joseph Boulogne (a.k.a. the Chevalier de Saint-Georges) concludes with a fifth volume of fresh, invigorating performances. While the two symphony concertantes are quite charming–the Rondeau from the A major is a particular highlight–it’s in the violin concertos where Boulogne, who was himself a renowned violinist, really blossoms with some stunningly imaginative writing. Again, as on previous volumes, Miroslav Vilimec’s own inventive cadenzas are a fine complement.
In the C major concerto, the brilliance of the opening Allegro is a shocking contrast to the lingering stillness of the middle movement, marked Molto adagio con sordini. It’s a great crime that this concerto hasn’t taken its rightful place in the standard repertoire, but as with all of the works of this peer of Mozart and Haydn, we have the legacy of racism to blame for its continued absence in the concert hall.
The annotations detail the tumultuous last 10 years of Boulogne’s life (the period 1789-99), but this chronological assessment of his biography bears no relation to the works we hear on the recording, which span 1774-82. The sound is generally vibrant and full, if a little too dense at times.
