Dessoff continues its mission to perform rarely heard choral masterpieces with the world premiere of Margaret Bonds’ Credo. Portions of the work were performed in 1972 just four weeks after the composer’s untimely death. In the mid-1960s, Bonds focused her attention on the writings of W.E.B. Du Bois, another leader dedicated to African-American causes. Du Bois’ essay Credo (1913) so inspired Bonds that she immediately set out to compose the work. The seven movement piece was dedicated to the memories of poet Langston Hughes and singer-actress Abbie Mitchell. The text promotes unity and social equality and Bonds expertly portrays the sentiment with rich harmonies and exciting motifs. Dessoff is proud to finally share the orchestral version with the world.
Simon Bore the Cross, an Easter cantata, is another rarely performed work of Bonds and Langston Hughes. Like Ballad of the Brown King, the Christmas cantata, the protagonist is a black man, whose life was a role model for helping lift the lives of others. By performing and recording both these overlooked works, we will shine a light on Bonds’ neglected but significant contribution to the American music canon.
PROGRAM:
I BELIEVE: CREDO (New York premiere) – Margaret Bonds (1913-1972)
Simon Bore the Cross – Margaret Bonds
Merriweather sings the role of Henry “Box” Brown.
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Paul Moravec has collaborated with librettist Mark Campbell to create the second of his “American historical oratorios.” Sanctuary Road draws on the astonishing stories to be found in William Still’s book The Underground Railroad, which documents the network of secret routes and safe houses used by African American slaves to escape into free states and Canada during the early- to mid-1800s.
