Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George (1745-1799) has been rescued from the margins of history in recent years thanks to the readability of his swashbuckling life story and the warm appeal of his music. Born in Guadeloupe to a wealthy white planter and an enslaved Senegalese woman, he was educated in Paris where he became a champion fencer as well as a virtuoso violinist and composer who knew and was known by everyone (at one point, Mozart and Bologne were house guests of the same patron).

His output includes six operas, of which only one survives intact, 14 violin concertos and a handful of symphonies and chamber works. Despite his fame and the friendship of Marie Antoinette, his career ran up against racial discrimination, blocking his appointment to lead the Paris Opéra. During the French Revolution, he fought as a colonel, leading Europe’s first all-Black regiment. He died in 1799 at just 51 years of age.

Previously recorded sets of his concertos and string quartets reveal a serious talent, albeit occasionally patchy. His music, though always engaging, tends to lack the memorability of Mozart. A considerable plus with...