MARGARET BONDS: The Ballad of the Brown King

Dessoff is pleased to offer its recording on AVIE Records, MARGARET BONDS: The Ballad of the Brown King & Selected Songs. 20th-century African American composer Margaret Bonds is receiving long overdue recognition with the world-premiere recording of her crowning achievement, The Ballad of the Brown King.

Composed in 1954 and dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr., Bonds' work with libretto by Langston Hughes, focuses on the dark-skinned Balthazar of the Three Kings, who traveled to Bethlehem to witness the birth of Jesus Christ. Bonds' musical language in the nine-movement cantata combines a neo-Romantic style with the simplicity of negro spirituals.

The Dessoff Choirs and Orchestra are joined by soprano Laquita Mitchell, mezzo-soprano Lucia Bradford, and tenor Noah Stewart, under the baton of Malcolm J. Merriweather. Bonds authority Dr. Ashley Jackson contributes the inspired liner note. This unique seasonal album also includes a selection of specially arranged songs, including a setting of Hughes' seminal poem "I, Too" performed by baritone Merriweather and Jackson on solo harp.

MEET THE ARTISTS

Composer, Margaret Bonds, a native of Chicago, grew up in a cultural household that hosted some of the leading artists and activists of the mid-20th century, including composer Florence Price.  Bonds studied music at Northwestern University – where she experienced abject racism – and made her debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1933, the first African-American pianist to appear as soloist with the renowned ensemble.

In the mid-1930s she encountered poet Langston Hughes for the first time; their sibling-like chemistry led to a close and lasting friendship.

Conductor Malcolm J. Merriweather is Music Director of New York City’s The Dessoff Choirs, founded in 1924 and known for path-breaking performances of choral works from the pre-Baroque era through the 21st century.

Highlights of Merriweather’s 2019-20 season included the release of two major recordings. With Dessoff, Merriweather conducts and performs selected songs on MARGARET BONDS: The Ballad of the Brown King & Selected Songs released by AVIE Records in November 2019; this project is the premiere recording of the composer’s magnum opus. In this new arrangement, Merriweather scored Bonds’ 1954 work for orchestra for strings, harp, and organ. He is also featured as the baritone soloist in the Oratorio Society of New York’s recording of Paul Moravec and Mark Campbell’s Sanctuary Road released on the Naxos label.