The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, led by resident conductor Daniel Meyer, paid homage to African-American heroes on Saturday at Heinz Hall with a concert of gospel, opera, traditional classical selections, jazz and the world premiere of Richard Danielpour's "Pastime."

Meyer opened the program with a spirited reading of Beethoven's "Overture to Egmont," a drama by Goethe about a man condemned to death for having taken a strong stand against oppression. The performance was highlighted by exquisite ensemble in the woodwinds.

Baritone soloist Nmon Ford followed with the spiritual "My Lord, What a Morning." With only piano accompaniment, Ford was able to let his magnificent voice soar effortlessly over the contours of the melody.

American composer Adolphus Hailstork's "My Lord, What a Mourning -- Elegies on the Death of Martin Luther King, Jr." is a grippingly poignant theme and variations on the spiritual. Stark, somber versions of the melody alternate with sections of discordant cacophony until the work ends with an abrupt punctuation. Meyer coaxed the haunting tension of the themes and let the orchestra roar in the dissonant sections.

In 1951, jazz legend Duke Ellington composed his "Jazz Nutcracker," a version of Tchaikovsky's ballet. Meyer juxtaposed movements from the original against Ellington's updates ("March" became "Toot Toot Tootie Toot," "Dance of the Mirlitons" became "Peanut Brittle Brigade"), and the PSO had a blast with the diversity.

"Pastime" grew out of a friendship between composer Danielpour and poet Michael Harper and their shared love of baseball. One of America's most respected poets, Harper had written a powerful poem called "Blackjack" about Jackie Robinson, who broke Major League Baseball's color barrier. In 2003, Danielpour suggested the idea of setting "Blackjack" to music. Harper, today a Brown University professor, responded with several more poems.

"Pastime" is a quasi-dramatic work for baritone soloist and orchestra that sets five of Harper's poems depicting baseball as metaphor for the civil rights movement in America. Bookended by a prologue and epilogue, the three inner poems honor legendary Negro Leagues hall-of-famer Josh Gibson, Jackie Robinson and Henry Aaron, baseball's all-time home run leader.

Danielpour has said he perceives Harper's writing style as similar to jazz riffs, and much of "Pastime" draws from rag, swing and other jazz idioms that spanned the century.

"Josh Gibson, Master of National Past" is a dramatic lament of denied opportunity. The vocal writing shifts from parlando to full-throated bel canto bravura, all of which Ford handled masterfully.

"Blackjack" begins as a lyric, hymnodical paean and progresses through struggle and anguish. "Henry Aaron's Hammer" begins with frenetic hustle and bustle and ends with majesty.

Ford's eclectic repertoire encompasses genres from Baroque to 20th century, and "Pastime" gave him an opportunity to show his diverse vocal abilities. His voice was pure and his timbre distinct in all but the highest fortes.

"Pastime" was commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Atlanta Symphony (the orchestras representative of the cities where the three men played) and the August Wilson Center for African American Culture. It's a work that bears repeat performances.