Composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, should have been as famous as Mozart — except he wasn’t.

Stephen Williams‘ new film “Chevalier” starring Kelvin Harrison Jr. as the titular violinist explores why. From Searchlight Pictures, the film opens in theaters on April 21 and follows Chevalier, a name 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 from 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 had to begin with Mozart’s “Violin Concerto No. Five” because that’s what the character is asked to play. “But he shows up and outplays him,” Abels says of the scene. “It was important to write in the style 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 take on a much more modern, almost 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 used 360-degree environments. She found an opera house that would need some refining. “The one we found had this Austro-Hungarian style 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 backdrop that you see is hand-painted,” says Murphy.

When capturing the duel, Williams gave cinematographer Jess Hall 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 language in this scene was fluid with this energy to it,” Hall 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.”

Watch the scene above.

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