Sarah Sleeger
Staff Writer
More than 50 people delighted in the musical duet of Paul Stein on violin, and David Garrett on cello Tuesday in Morgan Auditorium.
Members of the audience were captivated as they watched the duo perform the works of Ludwig van Beethoven, Maurice Ravel and Zoltan Kodaly.
“We agreed that we would do a duo program…Ravel and Kodaly are the two greatest pieces in the duet repertoire, so we just decided to do both of them,” Garrett said. “Beethoven was kind of an appetizer to get things started.”
“They are very exciting pieces and very unique and very different from each other,” Stein said.
Stein has been a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for 30 years.
In 1985, he created the Chamber Music Express, an ensemble with the goal of bringing “classical music to audiences at schools and libraries.”
“It gave me a chance to write stories about the composers for the students to relate to the music,” Stein said.
As his biography states, Garrett is also a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and performs as recitalist, chamber musician, and soloist.
He and his wife, faculty pianist at Occidental College Junko Ueno Garrett, also perform as the Belrose Duo.
Stein and Garrett both began playing music at a young age.
When they are not performing, both Stein and Garrett enjoy teaching others how to play.
Garrett teaches at a leading cello studio at California State University, Long Beach. He also instructs youth orchestras.
“It’s just a way of sharing music, and since I have some good experience I am in a position to be helpful to young cellist who are trying to improve,” Garrett said.
“In regards to music education in general, it’s important to have it as a component of a well rounded education.”
Stein teaches violin and viola at Glendale Community College and Pasadena City College, as well as at his studio.
Formerly, he was also part of the music program here at the University of La Verne.
“(Music) teaches really good thinking skills and organizational skills,” Stein said.
“The parents (of students) have told me reading and also math skills have improved.”
Attendees in the audience were all seemingly entranced by the beautiful music being played on the stage.
Star Soriano, freshman, and her classmate, Daniel Zavala, attended as part of their Music History and Appreciation class.
“We heard about the concert today from class and we decided to go,” said Soriano. “It was good, enjoyable.”
Each piece performed by the duo seemed to tell its own story, almost like a movie without visuals.
While listening, your imagination has the ability to run wild.
Listeners were able to create their own pictures within their minds, with the music playing in the background.
“It’s almost like we are creating other worlds, almost like an alternate universe,” Garrett said. “While we are playing a piece we are creating a world that is detached from what’s happening on the street or what you see in the newspapers.”
Sarah Sleeger can be reached at sarah.sleeger@laverne.edu.
