Within a fortnight of returning from that harrowing journey, St. Georges was again building a symphony orchestra. Like his last ensemble, "Le Cercle de l'Harmonie" was also part of a Masonic lodge performing in what was formerly the Palais Royal. The founders of the new "Loge", a group of "nouveau riche" gentlemen bent on re-creating the elegance of the old "Loge Olympique", were delighted to find St. Georges back in Paris. According to "Le Mercure Français", "The concerts ... under the direction of the famous Saint Georges, left nothing to be desired as to the choice of pieces or the superiority of their execution." Though a number of his biographers maintain that at the end of his life, St. Georges lived in abject poverty, the "Cercle" was not exactly the lower depths. Rejected by the army, St. Georges, at the age of 51, found solace in his music. Sounding like any veteran performer proud of his longevity, he said: "Towards the end of my life, I was particularly devoted to my violin," adding: "never before did I play it so well!"