The piano and the violin: Few instruments can match the resilience of their centuries-old pairing. Theirs is a continuity of ages, and Saturday night, Prof. Daniel Stepner (MUS) and Ya-Fei Chuang, who teaches at the New England Conservatory, honored the beauty and timelessness of the two instruments through several works for violin and piano by the early 20th-century composer Maurice Ravel.The balance between Stepner-who plays violin with the Lydian String Quartet-and Chuang was superb. Stepner stood just barely in front of Chuang's piano, placing the instruments on equal footing. Their rhythms were well-matched, their synchronization so close to precision it was difficult to believe they had practiced together no more than four times.

The first two pieces were sonatas, each beginning with a slow relaxing melody and becoming more complex as it progressed. The success of Ravel's pieces stems from his repetition of simple musical phrases. Yet, beneath the added layers, the original theme is always there, no matter how complex the tempo, pitches or rhythm become.

Often, one instrument waits while the other plays; sometimes they echo each other, and sometimes they follow each other as if in a round. They react as two voices in dialogue with each other. Some segments of the pieces sounded traditional, while others employed the instruments in completely unexpected ways. In the "Blues" movement of the second "Sonate," Stepner started with pizzacado, creating an almost banjo-like sound.

Most amazing was "Gaspard de la Nuit," played solo by Chuang. Speaking with the Justice, Stepner remarked that the piece was remarkably difficult, and it was evident why. Chuang's hands moved with incredible speed and dexterity, constantly roaming up and down from the lowest note to the highest in the twinkling of an eye. Watching her performance was dizzying as her hands became one blur, dancing swiftly over the piano keys. She created a sound tantalizing to audience members' ears.

Stepner commented that it was important to bring a program featuring Ravel's chamber music to Brandeis because the composer is mainly known for his orchestral music. "Not enough credit is given to him as a serious composer of chamber music," he said. "I wanted to rectify that.