When the University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra and the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra perform side by side Sunday, the union will represent a unique joint venture for all of the musicians involved.
Under the direction of the Annapolis Symphony’s maestro, Jose-Luis Novo, the two orchestras will combine forces in a presentation of two works celebrating the importance of water in our lives. “Side by (Sea)Side” showcases Benjamin Britten’s “Four Sea Interludes” from “Peter Grimes” and Claude Debussy’s “La Mer.”
The orchestral collaboration, as well as the chosen works, serves not only to enhance awareness and support for the Chesapeake Bay, but also to cement a partnership between music students and professional musicians. The idea here is that one institution (ASO) becomes mentor to the other (UMSO) with the idea of helping the latter’s members transition to a professional career after graduation.
“Both institutions can benefit from an experience like this,” said Novo, himself a former student of UMSO director Jim Ross. “The Annapolis Symphony will benefit by playing next to very talented young musicians who are always full of energy and great ideas. In exchange, we offer them the expertise and experience of being involved in a professional orchestra. [We] offer them the contacts they will be needing as soon as they graduate.”
In what can be viewed as a project that celebrates community, Novo chose a subject of wide interest to all concerned — in this case it is about living and thriving so close to the Chesapeake Bay — about the awareness of protecting a mighty estuary that, over time, has become fragile. To that particular end, his choice of repertoire is sublime.
Shortly after the 1905 premier of “La Mer,” Debussy commented to his publisher: “The sea has been very good to me. She has shown me all her moods.” However, in Britten’s 1945 opera “Peter Grimes,” a much bleaker and brooding aspect of the sea is presented. The initial calm of “Dawn,” for example, is replete with the ominous swelling of the waves.
Even as Novo asks us to think about renewed commitment to the Bay’s sustainability, he also celebrates that commitment to the future professional musicians he has taken under his wing.
“Students live in a bubble, [in] that part of the world where [they] are valued very much. Then [they] confront reality and it produces an instant emotional and even professional shock,” he said. “We try to fight that by giving them a taste of what their integration might be and making that happen in a more natural way.”
