Mozart for two

Those passing by Schoenberg Hall on Friday morning probably found it difficult to not stop and listen to the fluttering tunes trickling out of its large wooden doors.

This is probably due to the fact that UCLA music professors Guillaume Sutre and Neal Stulberg will be performing tonight in the first concert of a three-part series titled “Mozart à Deux: The Sonatas for Violin and Piano, Part I,” which translates into Mozart for two. The other two concerts in the series are scheduled for Jan. 30 and May 14.

Sutre, a French native who has played both violin and piano pieces all over the world, is a professor of violin and also the director of chamber music. Among his many accomplishments, Sutre has also performed with the renowned French Ysaÿe Quartet.

Stulberg, a professor and director of orchestral studies, is an acclaimed pianist and conductor who has performed around the globe with orchestras in Russia, Hong Kong, Israel and Germany.

He said that this concert is an interesting event because the teachers ““ not the students ““ are the performers.

“I remember when I was a student, these were very memorable and interesting occasions for us because the people who were evaluating us … were the ones being evaluated,” Stulberg said.

Sutre said Mozart’s compositions continue to surprise musicians because the composer was so ahead of his time. Sutre also said he wanted to perform these sonatas to learn more about Mozart’s pieces. According to Sutre, by playing these pieces, he is really researching and studying the composer.

Stulberg also said that each of Mozart’s sonatas has its own individual musical personality.

“Every one of these sonatas has a different character, and, really, these are dialogues between characters. He was writing these pieces as vehicles for himself and his friends and colleagues,” Stulberg said.

Leila Nassar-Fredell, a violinist and second-year graduate student in music, said that the sonatas are intricate despite featuring only two instruments.

“There are so many characters. It’s kind of like going to the opera, but you are hearing it all through two instruments,” Nassar-Fredell said.

Sutre said he and Stulberg came together by hearing each other play compositions by Mozart. Both said they were moved by each other’s playing and knew it would be a good idea to teach an audience about the composer’s music.

Stulberg said that both he and Sutre structured the series of concerts in a way that invites the audience to go on an intensive journey through the composer’s life by listening to his music. Additionally, the two will also be performing these sonatas in June at the Les Grandes Heures de Saint-Emilion festival in Bordeaux, France.

Nassar-Fredell said the concert represents a chance for students to hear both of the professors’ musical talents outside of the classroom.

“It’s great to have an opportunity to hear players of this caliber playing these works on campus,” Nassar-Fredell said.