Joseph de Bologne, Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 3, No. 1

Joseph de Bologne, Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 3, No. 1 featuring Christina Day Martinson, violin An Uncommon Chevalier Sunday, March 27, 2022 at 2:30 pm Zilkha Hall, The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts DIGITAL PROGRAM BOOKLET: This program transports us to a lively Parisian concert hall in the mid 1780s, just before the Revolution changed everything. An accomplished composer, violinist, conductor, fencer, and dancer, Joseph de Bologne became the toast of Paris in the early 1770s. The son of a plantation owner and an African slave, the younger mixed-race Bologne acquired the title Chevalier de Saint-Georges thanks to Louis XV, in whose personal guard he briefly served, and eventually became a favorite of Marie Antoinette. The program features a tuneful violin concerto from Saint-Georges, a comparable work from a contemporary, and a symphony commissioned by the Chevalier. This event is part of the French Cultures Festival coordinated by the Cultural Service of the French Embassy in Houston. Featuring: Christina Day Martinson, violin º Elizabeth Blumenstock, violin Matthew Dirst, conductor º Ars Lyrica debut Orchestral Personnel: Horn I – James Wilson Horn II – Patrick Hughes Traverso I – Colin St-Martin Traverso II – Alaina Diehl Oboe I – Kathryn Montoya Oboe II – Stephen Bard Bassoon I – Nate Helgeson Bassoon II – Keith Collins Violin I – Elizabeth Blumenstock (soloist & concertmaster), Maria Lin, Hae-a Lee, Andrés Gonzalez, Anabel Detrick Violin II – Christina Day Martinson (soloist & principal), Alan Austin, Matt Detrick, Kana Kimura Viola – James Dunham, Erika Lawson Cello – Barrett Sills, Erika Johnson Double bass – Deborah Dunham Note: For this program, Ars Lyrica’s wind players are using replicas of Classical-era instruments pitched at A=430, instead of our usual Baroque-style wind instruments pitched at A=415. Strings for this program are tuned to A=430 as well, with players using “transitional“ (Classical era) bows. Video and audio by BEND Productions, LLC