Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective

The evening

Mel Bonis and the Chevalier de Saint-Georges rub shoulders with Fauré in a fascinating concert of rediscovery.

The music of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges – violin virtuoso, fencer, ice-skater and fashion icon – is becoming increasingly well-known, and not before time. Born in Guadeloupe to an enslaved mother and plantation-owning father, he shook up the Parisian scene in the 1770-80s. His elegant Keyboard Quartet sits alongside Bonis’ stylishly lyrical Piano Quartet No 1. Like Bologne, Bonis was a prolific composer whose music was overlooked for decades, but her lyrical and impassioned chamber works have been championed by a new generation of musicians. Fauré’s sumptuous Piano Quartet No 1 (1879) is full of warmth, drama and a few delightful surprises.

The Kaleidoscope ensemble, dedicated to bringing neglected works to light, are perfect for this programme of intriguing chamber pieces.

Recorded for future broadcast on BBC Radio 3.