Rediscovering Forgotten Voices: Jordan Hadrill Champions Joseph Bologne

What we consider the heritage of Western classical music is not a law of nature. It is the result of historical choices – and the prejudices that shaped them. With her new recording, violinist Jordan Hadrill challenges this legacy of exclusion by bringing forgotten composers back into the spotlight.

At the heart of the release is the Violin Concerto No. 1 in G major, Op. 2/1 by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, one of the most remarkable yet long-overlooked musical figures of the 18th century. Together with the Vienna Classical Players, Hadrill presents a work that combines virtuosity, elegance, and profound emotional depth.

Born in Guadeloupe in 1745, Joseph Bologne was the son of a French plantation owner and an enslaved African woman. Brought to Paris at an early age, he rose to fame not only as a celebrated violin virtuoso, conductor, and composer, but also as one of Europe’s greatest fencers. As founding director of the Concert de la Loge Olympique, he led the premieres of Haydn’s famous “Paris Symphonies” and moved within the inner circles of the French royal court around Marie Antoinette. Yet despite his extraordinary achievements, racial prejudice denied him a lasting place in the European musical canon.

For Jordan Hadrill, discovering Bologne’s music became a deeply personal artistic journey. Inspired by an article in The New York Times, she immersed herself in both his music and his remarkable biography. “I immediately knew: I have to play this music,” she recalls.

Composed in 1773, Bologne’s first violin concerto reveals a strikingly original musical voice. Brilliant virtuosity, expressive slow movements, and a unique blend of French refinement and harmonic boldness give the work its unmistakable character. Hadrill emphasizes not only the technical brilliance of the concerto, but also its emotional and spiritual power: “I hear a strong personality in this music – deeply spiritual and deeply resilient.”

Recorded in Vienna with the Vienna Classical Players – the city that profoundly shaped Hadrill’s own artistic path – the project becomes both a symbolic homecoming and a passionate statement for a more inclusive understanding of classical music history.