Saint-Georges: L'Amant Anonyme in Bloomington, MN

Joseph Bologne (or Boulogne), Chevalier de Saint-Georges
, born to a French nobleman on Guadeloupe and his Senegalese slave, was a fascinating figure, skilled as a fencer as well as a composer. He has been called the Black
Mozart
, but this is not fair inasmuch as
Saint-Georges
was a celebrated figure while
was just coming onto the scene, and the "French style" of the young
was at least in part
'. He wrote six operas, of which
L'Amant Anonyme
is the only one to have survived in full, and it is valuable to have this document from the life of this unique composer on recordings; this production by Chicago's
Haymarket Opera Company
marks the work's world recorded premiere. From the evidence here, at least,
was, although no
, a competent opera composer. The plot, a first cousin to that of You've Got Mail, is pretty slender, but
' arias for the widow Leontine, who gradually catches on to what is happening with her best friend, Valcour, are never less than attractive, and
handles the small orchestra well, avoiding the traps that ensnare other violin composers. The dialogue is spoken, and the entire opera is repeated sans the spoken passages on a third CD. The soloists here are a mixed bag, but that just means there is room for other readings of this opera, and that may well happen if
continues to find his proper place in the repertory. ~ James Manheim