The Richmond Symphony is marking Martin Luther King Jr. weekend with two concerts celebrating gospel composer Richard Smallwood, followed by a Sunday program honoring the great Civil Rights leader. Dr. Henry Panion III, a master of merging popular music with classical tradition, will conduct. The program will feature Richmond vocalist Desiree Roots, the Tribute Gospel Ensemble, and the First African Baptist Church Choir.
“Richard [Smallwood] is one of the most important composers of gospel music,” says Panion. “I have had the chance to work with him, as well as my own experiences with gospel music and artists. It has been a love of mine for many, many years. Also, this year is [Smallwood’s] 75th birthday, so we are commemorating his life. And his music lends itself exceptionally well to orchestral presentation.”
A graduate of historic Howard University, Smallwood’s Grammy-winning career spans from Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan to Whitney Houston, Destiny’s Child, and opera singer Leontyne Price. His compositions have a depth of harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic content that, with the right interpreter, translate well to a symphonic context.
But it’s not just about the notes. While the African sonorities sweep through global musical genres from country music to samba and K-Pop, the tradition-bound symphonic world remains somewhat ethnically insular. “The orchestra represents the last frontier of musical art forms that is beginning to embrace and accept other styles and genres beyond the European classical,” Panion explains. “But just because you want to make a cake and have the ingredients, does not mean you can bake one. Because I have long experience in both worlds; [bringing] together the elements of popular and classical music while preserving the integrity of each has become my forte.”
Panion’s popular music chops have been honed by working with a who’s who of artists, including a 30-year collaboration with Stevie Wonder, whose songs he arranged and conducted for renowned ensembles including the Russian Bolshoi Theatre, the British Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Boston Pops. “It used to be that classical musicians would turn up their nose at any form of popular music,” Panion says. “I saw how these noted organizations with long traditions embraced Stevie’s work.”
The Smallwood tributes, this Friday and Saturday (Jan. 12-13), will draw on four decades of the gospel superstar’s work, including his early years leading the Richard Smallwood Singers to his more recent leadership of praise and worship group, Visions. What may be a revelation for newcomers will be a homecoming for those familiar with the music of the Black church.
Also, Panion will guest conduct a Sunday, all-ages concert celebrating MLK’s enduring legacy with a program of African American composers. The program includes Margaret Bonds’ seven movement “Montgomery Variations” and Adolphus Hailstork’s “Three Spirituals” suite. Panion’s own pieces are also on the program, including “Fanfare and Elegy,” “Dreams of Hope for Solo Violin and Orchestra,” and his “African American Spirituals Suite.”
Panion’s approach is to intricately weave together the presentation of vocals and instruments. “When you think about the choir,” he says, “there are various voices – soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. The orchestra is the same in the strings, brass, woodwinds, and percussion. Fast, melodic melodies may work well with higher pitches. There are colorful things like bells and chimes that we like to call ‘ear candy.’ This is also true of the voices, how long they speak a phrase, how they deliver certain syllables. Those are the things you will hear in this music by these wonderful artists.”
The devil is in the details. But so, perhaps, are the songs of angels.
The Richmond Symphony, conducted by Dr. Henry Panion, performs a Tribute to Richard Smallwood at the Carpenter Center on Friday, Jan. 12 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. Tickets vary in price, but are currently available at $48.
The Richmond Symphony Celebrate MLK takes place at the Carpenter Center on Sunday, Jan. 14. Tickets are free for 13 and under, $10 for students, and $69 general admission.
