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Neal Stulberg, director of orchestral studies, conducts students at a rehearsal for the UCLA Phil

SHOSTAKOVICH Today, 8 p.m. Schoenberg Hall

Though the regimes of 20th-century Russia produced great suffering, they also inspired great art.

In honor of the 100th anniversary of renowned Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich’s birthday, the UCLA Philharmonia will initiate its new season with a tribute to him under the leadership of conductor Neal Stulberg, the visiting director of orchestral studies.

Stulberg, who has previously led several distinguished orchestras on local and global scales, is now settling into his second year as conductor of the UCLA Philharmonia. Tonight at 8 p.m. in Schoenberg Hall, Stulberg conducts the 80-member orchestra in a moving juxtaposition of Shostakovich’s infamous ninth and 10th symphonies.

The two symphonies reflect Shostakovich’s dramatic and often complicated relationship with the harsh Soviet leadership following World War II.

To further inform the audience of the specific historical context in which the symphonies were written, the Philharmonia will also be hosting pre-concert events beginning at 7 p.m. in Schoenberg Hall. This will include performances of Russian art songs in the lobby and an intensive symposium on Shostakovich, led by Dan Cummings, one of Stulberg’s two graduate students.

“The way music is regarded in Russia is much different than in the U.S.,” Stulberg said. “It’s real – it’s what you eat and breathe, it’s not just entertainment. So (this) is much more than just a concert.”

In order to commemorate the late composer, Stulberg selected these particular symphonies not only to emphasize the masterful orchestration but also to highlight the political motivation behind much of Shostakovich’s composition.

“The Shostakovich ninth and 10th symphonies make a fascinating pairing,” Stulberg said. “The ninth symphony was written just after World War II and was ordered up by the Soviet authorities as a triumphant symphony. Instead, Shostakovich decided to write a short, satirical symphony that thumbs its nose at Stalin.”

On the other hand, Stulberg described the 10th symphony as a “sprawling” work that explored the intensities of the suffering of the Russian citizens.

Following weeks of rigorous rehearsals, the Philharmonia hopes to convey both the ironic mock-heroism of the ninth and the solemn poignance of the 10th symphony as Shostakovich intended them to be expressed.

“The first movement of the ninth symphony is a light and pellucid composition, which exhibits no intention of being tragic,” said Georgios Kountouris, a graduate student in conducting who previously studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia. “The second movement of the 10th is a portrait of the satanic figure of Joseph Stalin in which music describes what words and pictures fail to.”

Penelope Turgeon, a fourth-year music student and principal flutist in the Philharmonia, said Shostakovich filled his music with hidden messages and secret codes alluding to the political landscape of the time.

“As Americans, I feel that we won’t get it entirely, but it is written in such a way that anybody listening could understand how painful this time was,” she said.