Margaret Bonds: The Ballad Of The Brown King & Selected Songs - Avie: AV2413 - CD or download | Presto Classical

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Although it dates from 1954, this is the piece’s premiere recording. It is a very good one…The choral contributions draw palpably on the style of spirituals, without seeming derivative, and area... — BBC Music Magazine, February 2020, (Performance) / (Recording) More…

Release Date: 1st Nov 2019
Catalogue No: AV2413
Label: Avie
Length: 35 minutes

Presto Editor's Choice

November 2019

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Contents

Bonds: The Ballad Of The Brown King

24:48

$9.00

$12.60

$15.75

The Dessoff Choirs
The Dessoff Orchestra
Malcolm J. Merriweather

I. Of the Three Wise Men

3:30

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

II. They Brought Fine Gifts

2:32

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

III. Sing Alleluia

0:45

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

IV. Mary Had a Little Baby

2:45

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

V. Now When Jesus Was Born

2:08

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

VI. Could He Have Been an Ethiope?

4:52

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

VII. Oh, Sing of the King Who Was Tall and Brown

4:12

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

VIII. That Was a Christmas Long Ago

1:24

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

IX. Alleluia

2:40

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Bonds: To a Brown Girl Dead

2:05

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Ashley Jackson
The Dessoff Orchestra
Malcolm J. Merriweather

Bonds: Winter Moon

1:15

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Ashley Jackson
The Dessoff Orchestra
Malcolm J. Merriweather

Bonds: Three Dream Portraits

7:00

$3.00

$4.20

$5.25

Ashley Jackson
The Dessoff Orchestra
Malcolm J. Merriweather

I. Minstrel Man

2:20

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

II. Dream Variation

2:38

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

III. I, Too

2:02

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

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Interview, Margaret Bonds's The Ballad of the Brown King

18th November 2019

David talks to Malcolm J Merriweather and Ashley Jackson about their world premiere recording of a miniature oratorio by Margaret Bonds, exploring the legend of an African king journeying to visit the new-born Jesus.

New York City-based The Dessoff Choirs & Orchestra, with conductor Malcolm J. Merriweather give the world-premiere recording of 20th-century African-American composer Margaret Bonds’ Christmas cantata, The Ballad of the Brown King, alongside a selection of specially arranged songs performed by baritone Merriweather with harpist and Bonds authority Ashley Jackson.

20th-century African-American composer Margaret Bonds receives long overdue recognition with the world-premiere recording of her crowning achievement, The Ballad of the Brown King. With an expressly written libretto by Bonds’ friend Langston Hughes, this Christmas cantata which focuses on Balthazar, the dark-skinned king who journeyed to Bethlehem to witness the birth of Jesus Christ, is beautifully interpreted by New York City-based The Dessoff Choirs and Orchestra, outstanding soloists soprano Laquita Mitchell, mezzo-soprano Lucia Bradford and tenor Noah Stewart, under the baton of their charismatic conductor, Malcolm J. Merriweather. Bonds authority Dr. Ashley Jackson contributes the inspired liner notes.

This unique seasonal album also includes a selection of specially arranged songs, including a setting of Hughes’ seminal poem I, Too, Sing America, performed by baritone Merriweather and Jackson on solo harp.

“This young maestro displays command as well as a terrific sense of humor, enabling him to bring out the best in all the singers.” - New York Arts

Merriweather “compelled the audience to share the experience with him through the force of his gravity and dignified expression” - Opera News

Reviews

February 2020

Although it dates from 1954, this is the piece’s premiere recording. It is a very good one…The choral contributions draw palpably on the style of spirituals, without seeming derivative, and area affectionately shaped by conductor Malcolm J. Merriweather…Expressive solo singing from tenor Noah Stewart and mezzo-soprano Lucia Bradford further enhances the warmly communicative qualities of the performance.

February 2020

Solo voices blend effortlessly with choral backings, and the long-lived Dessoff Choirs handle the material with authority and openness.

May/June 2020

…the performances are committed and persuasive (Merriweather’s readings of the songs are especially compelling) and the sound is good. Certainly worth your interest.

November 2019

Incorporating elements of jazz and spirituals and full of memorable melodies, Bonds’s 1954 Christmas cantata on a text by the poet and civil rights activist Langston Hughes is a real find, and deserves to be whole-heartedly embraced by choral societies far and wide. All three soloists are excellent, but tenor Noah Stewart shines especially brightly in Could he have been an Ethiope?.

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