Caribbean Violin Concertos

Chevalier de Saint-Georges was, in many respects, an exceptional figure. Born in Guadeloupe in the 18th century to an aristocrat and a slave, he received a courtly education in Paris: a violinist, fencer, Freemason, revolutionary activist and conductor, he was also a composer.

It is naturally to his instrument that he dedicated his finest works, amongst which the concertos, with their virtuosity that is both unrestrained and graceful, stand out in particular.

Romuald Grimbert-Barré, the ONC and Benjamin Levy thus combine his Opus 5 and 8 with Thierry Pécou’s tribute concerto, a rich piece brimming with references to the composer’s extraordinary life, a figure who remains, even today, far too little known.