New Classical Tracks: Hear a retelling of the Nativity story in Margaret Bonds' 'The Ballad of the Brown King'

Published: Dec. 25, 2019, 6 a.m.

Dr. Ashley Jackson and conductor Malcolm J. Merriweather discuss the fascinating history of Margaret Bonds' 'The Ballad of the Brown King,' which tells the story of the Nativity from the perspective of Balthazar. The fully orchestrated version premiered in 1960 with a dedication to Martin Luther King Jr. Now it has been recorded for the first time by the Dessoff Choirs.