Music of the Baroque will perform the Midwest debut of the concert theater work “The Chevalier”, written by Bill Barclay and featuring violinist Brendan Elliott, February 18 to 20 in Chicago.
The ensemble chorus and orchestra is directed by Dame Jane Glover, and is one of the leading groups in the country devoted to the performance of 18th century works.
“The Chevalier” combines the music of the 18th-century Black French composer and violinist Joseph Bologne (known as the Chevalier de Saint-Georges), with “semi-staged dialogue” to tell the story of the composer and virtuoso, who was also the conductor of the leading symphony orchestra in Paris during his time, and a renowned champion fencer.
R.J. Foster plays the title character of the Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Merritt Janson plays Marie Antoinette, David Joseph plays Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and the work’s creator and writer, Bill Barclay, plays Choderlos de Laclos.
Three performances of “The Chevalier” will run beginning Friday February 18 with a free performance for the Austin community in Chicago at the Kehrein Center for the Arts, followed by a performance February 19 at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, and a final performance Sunday February 20 at Symphony Center in Chicago.