Composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, should've been as well-known as Mozart — except he wasn’t. Stephen Williams‘ new film “Chevalier” starring Kelvin Harrison Jr. as the titled violinist explores why. Searchlight Pictures, the film opens in theaters on April twenty-one and follows Chevalier, a title bestowed on him after he caught the attention of Marie Antoinette, the illegitimate son of an African slave and plantation owner. Before bursting onto the scene, he performed violin concertos while building his fencing skills, becoming known as the “Black Mozart.” In a clip the film, Bologne takes on a challenge against Mozart (Joseph Prowen), accepting a violin duel. As previously reported, Harrison Jr. spent months perfecting his violin skills to portray Chevalier.

Michael Abels shared composing duties with Kris Bowers and wrote the on-camera musical performances. For the film’s opening scene that introduces the talents of Bologne to the French upper class, Abels explains that when writing this piece, he'd to start with Mozart’s “Violin Concerto No. Five” beca that’s what the character is asked to play. “But he shows up and outplays him,” Abels says of the scene. “It was necessary to write in the fashion of Joseph, which was classical, but also showy.” But as the music evolves and the duo goes back and forth, Abels says, “Joseph’s solos get on a much more modern, nearly Jimi Hendrix-influenced style. The way Kelvin plays him on stage is very much evoking a modern rockstar virtuoso performer.” The music was reflective of what audiences would expect to hear in that situation, which danced between classical and modern. The film shot on location in Prague with “Elvis” production designer Karen Murphy, who d 360-degree environments. She found an opera ho that'd necessity some refining.

“The one we found had this Austro-Hungarian fashion that was heavier, with more curves and a bigger scale, so I went about making our set more French. Whether it was the candlesticks, the chairs on stage, adding velvets… and the back that you look is hand-painted,” says Murphy. When capturing the duel, Williams gave cinematographer Jess Corridor notes that he wanted the duel to have a contemporary edge. “It was to contemporize the charisma and the innovation that Chevalier had musically. So, the camera speech in this scene was fluid with this energy to it,” Corridor says, noting that he considered how to ensure there was space for Harrison Jr. to have freedom while performing, and at the same time have the camera move freely. “It was about bringing all those things and capturing the energy of this performance. If the scene didn’t work, the movie didn’t work.”