The Catalyst Quartet, birthed by the Sphinx Organization in 2010, is making waves in the classical music scene by fostering inclusivity and reviving neglected voices. A significant endeavor in their journey is the “Uncovered” recording series, which began in 2018. Initially focusing on Black composers like Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Florence Price, this series has now reached a milestone with its fourth volume. The latest release sheds light on Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a prominent yet under-recognized figure in eighteenth-century French music.
The third “Uncovered” installment, featuring works by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, William Grant Still, and George Walker, achieved recognition with a 2024 Grammy nomination. However, the current volume takes an even more ambitious leap. It encompasses the complete string quartets of Saint-Georges, a figure whose life story is as remarkable as his compositions. Born in 1754 in Guadeloupe to a French plantation owner and an enslaved woman, Saint-Georges was raised by his father and educated in Paris, where he initially gained fame as a master swordsman before transitioning to music.
Saint-Georges’s musical career was marked by collaborations with composers such as Antonio Lotti and François-Joseph Gossec. Under Gossec’s mentorship, he rose to conduct the Concert des Amateurs orchestra. His influence extended beyond performance as he composed prolifically, contributing over a dozen violin concertos and symphonies concertantes alongside eighteen string quartets, pioneering this format among French composers.
In contrast to Italian or Viennese quartets, French concertante quartets of Saint-Georges’s time highlighted all four instruments, offering varied roles for each musician. These compositions, often comprised of just two movements, were designed to captivate listeners and leave them yearning for more. Despite their brevity, they were rich in drama and complexity, evident in the third quartet of his Opus 1.
Saint-Georges’s career in opera, however, was fraught with racial challenges, as performers resisted collaborating with him. Nonetheless, Marie Antoinette’s patronage provided him a platform at her palace. His final string quartets, Opus 14, reflect an assimilation of Joseph Haydn’s style, whose “Paris Symphonies” were premiered by Saint-Georges himself.
The Catalyst Quartet’s performance of all eighteen quartets is lauded for its clarity and intricacy, supported by insightful notes from UC San Diego’s M. Myrta Leslie Santana. “Uncovered Vol. 4” is available as a digital album from the Azica label, ready for streaming and download.
