As history lessons go, it’s a fascinating one: Joseph Bologne, born to a married plantation proprietor in the French colony of Guadeloupe and a Creole woman held as a slave there, would grow up to attain such repute as a violinist, composer, and conductor that he was granted the title of Chevalier de Saint-Georges then and “the Black Mozart” now. In the pitchy biopic “Chevalier,” he earns this sobriquet in a literal capacity by storming into a concert from Wolfgang himself, already in progress, challenging him to a violin battle, and owning him so hard that the crowd bursts into a rabid standing ovation.

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