The Ballad of the Brown King - Libretto by Langston Hughes
To a Brown Girl, Dead
Winter Moon
Three Dream Portraits

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.

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Tracks 1 – 9 recorded November 30 and December 1, 2018 at James Memorial Chapel, Union Theological Seminary, New York City. Tracks 10 – 14 recorded at Skinner Hall, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY, on February 16, 2019.