UM Symphony Blends the Solemn and the Sensual in Oct. 31 Concert

Program of Rare & Unique Work Includes Latin Sounds at the Clarice Smith Center

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Andrew Zender, azender@umd.edu
(301) 405-8151

October 9, 2009 — College Park, MD. —The UM Symphony Orchestra presents an evening of intriguing work that features a rare performance of Sibelius’s Fourth Symphony at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center’s Dekelboum Concert Hall Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009 at 8 p.m. The concert, conducted by UM Symphony Music Director James Ross, also includes Richard Wagner’s Prelude to “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg”; Arturo Márquez: Danzón no. 2 and Maurice Ravel’s “Rapsodie espagnole.”

The program will begin with the Fourth Symphony of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Facing a battle with throat cancer around the time he composed the piece, Sibelius stamped it with a deeply introspective tone reflecting his thoughts about life and mortality. The Fourth Symphony’s solemn approach differs greatly from Sibelius’s other works such as the tuneful, relaxed Symphony No. 3 and the sweeping, heroic Symphony No. 5. Although the Fourth Symphony represents a sudden shift in sound that confused and even shocked many listeners upon its premiere, it is considered today to be one of the peaks of the composer’s output.

The Prelude to Wagner’s opera “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg” follows. “Die Meistersinger” holds a unique place in Wagner’s body of work for three reasons: it is the only comedy among his operas; the only based entirely on an original story developed by Wagner himself; and the only centered on historically well-defined time and place, rather than a mythical or legendary setting.

The most popular of Arturo Márquez’s series of “Danzones,” “Danzón no. 2” debuted in 1994 in Mexico City and was met with such national acclaim that it was nicknamed “the second national anthem of Mexico.” Drawing from deep Afro-Cuban musical roots, the danzón as a musical approach also bears a familial relationship to habanera rhythms and the tango; critic Joseph Stevenson praises the form for its “nostalgic melodies and a smoldering sensuality.” Building upon the Latino musical heritage and dance-related themes of Márqeuz, Maurice Ravel’s “Rapsodie espagnole” concludes the concert, evoking a thrilling sound from its roots in Basque folk songs and the fandango, the flamenco couple-dance.

Tickets are $27 for the general public and $9 for full-time students with I.D. Tickets are available by visiting www.claricesmithcenter.umd.edu or calling (301) 405-ARTS (2787). The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is located at the intersection of University Boulevard (Route 193) and Stadium Drive in College Park, on the campus of the University of Maryland. A parking garage is located across the street from the Center.

The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is funded by an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. Funding for the Maryland State Arts Council is also provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, which believes that a great nation deserves great art. Additional support is generously provided by a grant from the Leading College and University Presenters Program of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and by a generous grant from The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.

About UMSO

The University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra (UMSO) is one of the nation's finest collegiate orchestras, a progressive ensemble on the cutting edge of 21st century orchestral performance experience for audiences and members alike. In addition to its ongoing search for ways to revitalize the presentation of classical music in concert, the UMSO is revisiting the traditional relationship between conductor and orchestra as well as the orchestra members’ relationship to the music they play. With this approach the orchestra seeks to broaden the appeal of classical music while drawing new meaning from orchestral repertoire written throughout the ages.

About James Ross

James Ross is a musician of international repute. His musical activities cover three fields: conducting, horn playing and teaching. Born in Boston, he grew up studying the horn and earned his Bachelor's degree from Harvard University in 1981. His first conducting experience came as an undergraduate when he was chosen by his peers to lead the Bach Society Orchestra. Upon graduation, he began his conducting studies in earnest with Kurt Masur in Leipzig while simultaneously serving as Solo-Horn of the prestigious Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, becoming the first American member in the orchestra's 250 year history. Presently, he is the Director of the University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra, Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, and Artistic Director of the National Orchestral Institute (NOI).