Hope Metropolitan Orchestra: The Two Chevaliers

NB: This concert takes place in the Great Hall at Liverpool Hope Creative Campus.

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Hope Metropolitan Orchestra

Stephen Pratt, Conductor

Programme:
Joseph Bologne - Symphony No. 1
Mozart - Six German Dances (K600)
Joseph Bologne - Symphony No. 2
Mozart - Symphony No. 40 in G minor (K550)

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This concert celebrates Black History Month, an annual event to be held in October 2024. It is also a memorial tribute to our colleague, Mark Julius.

Did you know that Mozart was knighted (made a Chevalier) by the Pope when he was only 14?As a child he was famous throughout Europe and has, for two centuries, been recognised as one of the greatest musical geniuses.

His contemporary, the Black composer Joseph Bologne, was also very well known at the time, especially in France where he was a favourite of Queen Marie Antoinette. She adored his music  and sang in several of his pieces. Another curious fact – when she and Mozart were children he is supposed to have shocked Viennese high society by giving her a big, though innocent, kiss.

As Mozart’s star rose, Bologne’s dimmed. Although ennobled, he was very closely associated with the French Court and when that was swept away by the Revolution his title was not an advantage. He was largely forgotten until the 21st century. In recent years a film was made about him and his music is currently being much performed and recorded. There is only one Mozart but it is exciting that Bologne is being re-discovered and acknowledged as a significant talent. That both composers are featured side-by-side makes this a particularly revealing evening.