In the midst of all the new, modernist music that tends to be played at Brandeis, sometimes it's nice to revisit the musical classics and remember why they have remained so influential and popular for centuries. Saturday night's concert, as part of the Marquee Series in Slosberg Music Center, featuring works by Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, gave the Brandeis community an opportunity to appreciate the genius of these composers and the absolute beauty of their pieces that have shaped music history.

The concert featured three extremely distinguished musicians. Pianist Naoko Sugiyama played solo piano for the first half of the concert, after which she was joined by violinist Susanna Ogata and cellist Jacques Lee Wood. Sugiyama is an accomplished soloist and chamber musician who has played throughout Japan and the northeastern United States. 

Ogata has played in numerous ensembles and has served on the violin faculty at the Longy School of Music. Wood has taught chamber music at the Yale University Department of Music and the Yale School of Music since 2011 and is currently a musician-in-residence at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. He also serves on the faculty at the Korea Philharmonic Summer Research Institute. 

The first piece of the night was Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 3 in B flat major, performed by Sugiyama. The first movement of the piece, the Allegro, composed of fast, fleeting notes, was light and had an uplifting and airy quality to it and ended with a high, delicate note that faded into nothing. The Andante, which came next, was slower and richer in tone, and contained ascending notes that crescendoed beautifully. 

Throughout the piece, Sugiyama was able to accomplish a wide range of musical dynamics, from piano to forte with an extreme amount of precision and control, a much harder feat on the piano than on string or wind instruments. 

Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53, "Waldstein" was spectacular. The Allegro con brio contained some of the fastest and most complex passages that I have ever heard on a piano. It seemed impossible that two hands could derive that level of complexity and rapidity out of an instrument. The piece ranged from passages brimming with emotion and anger, to meditative-sounding passages that transitioned into tangential sections, signifying mind wanderings. 

In the second half of the concert, the trio-piano, violin and cello-provided a nice change from the piano solos. Sugiyama, Ogata and Wood performed Schubert's Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat major, Op.99. The piece was absolutely beautiful, as is to be expected when talented musicians come together to play. The musicians seemed truly dedicated to creating a piece of music together as opposed to being recognized for their own talents, which was admirable. 

In the Allegro Moderato, the instruments each stood out, but they worked with one another to create beautifully complex sounds and interweaving melodies. In some parts, the instruments seemed to be in conversation with one another-taking turns playing the melodies and accompanying the melodies. At other moments, the cello and violin played a melody together while the piano provided the accompaniment. 

After the sections in which instruments played in sync, the instruments branched off into different but intertwining melodies. Recurring themes wove the whole piece together and created a sense of cohesion. 

I really enjoyed the ending of the Andante un poco mosso: a single soft, clear and drawn-out note on the violin. The piece was long-almost an hour-but the musicians did not seem to fatigue and played each movement with energy and grace. At one point, Wood broke a bow hair, and was not even fazed. He kept playing until he had a long enough rest to break it off. 

Saturday's event was well attended but the concert hall wasn't full to bursting, as a concert of this caliber deserved. I would like to encourage Brandeis students to take advantage of these amazing opportunities as out in the real world, we will not be given the opportunity to experience this kind of talent for little as five dollars right at our doorstep.