'Breakthrough' Screening & Lecture Recital by Quinton Morris
Pricing TBA
Dr. Morris presents a lecture recital and the original film Breakthrough on the 18th century violinist and composer Chevalier de Saint-Georges.
In celebration of the 270th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Boulogne (better known as the Chevalier de Saint-Georges), Morris tells a modernized story of the celebrated athlete, concert violinist and composer through his performance of Saint-Georges’s Sonata No. 3 in G minor and his acting debut as the historical violinist in a new film capturing key aspects of musician’s life.
Saint-Georges meets Queen Marie-Antoinette, who invites him to Versailles to perform with her at her estate. He composes the G minor sonata along with two other sonatas that they perform together in the celebrated venue. Morris presents Saint-Georges’s debonair personality through the violinist’s high-profile career, his romantic relationships with various women, and the numerous social setbacks he faced as an African-French musician.
This collaborative, innovative project is an introduction to Saint-Georges, a musician of African origin who against all odds, rose to become one of the most prolific and forgotten figures of the 18th century.