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Clarinet trio in Coquitlam to delight with music from Beethoven, Brahms

Noel McRobbie, Laine Longton and Krystal Morrison are set to perform several masterpieces at Place des Arts.
clarinet
Person playing the clarinet.

A pianist, cellist and clarinetist will perform works from the Classical and Romantic eras next Saturday (May 14) in Coquitlam.

Noel McRobbie will join Laine Longton on cello and Krystal Morrison on clarinet for a performance at Place des Arts (1120 Brunette Ave.).

Titled "From Beethoven to Brahms," their hour-long show explores how both composers transformed the clarinet trio: Beethoven, by replacing the violin in the standard piano ensemble; Brahms, by coming out of retirement to tackle clarinet music.

In fact, Brahms wrote his Clarinet Sonatas Opus. 120, Nos. 1 and 2 in 1894 after he “discovered” the sound of the instrument.

His sonatas are considered as masterpieces in the clarinet repertoire and were the last chamber pieces that Brahms penned.

McRobbie, who is on faculty at the Maillardville hub, as well as at the Vancouver Academy of Music, is well known in piano circles having won the top prize at the Eckhardt-Grammatté Piano Competition.

A former student of Lee Kum-Sing at the Vancouver Academy of Music and UBC, McRobbie earned his master’s degree in music from the New England Conservatory and his PhD in piano pedagogy from the University of Michigan.

Longton has her master’s degree in performance from the University of Illinois and is currently a doctoral candidate in musical arts at UBC.

And Morrison, who has taught at Place des Arts, is the second clarinetist with the Vancouver Island Symphony.

She holds master’s degrees in performance and musicology, studied at McGill’s Schulich School of Music and the University of Ottawa.

The recital starts at 7 p.m., and tickets to From Beethoven to Brahms are $21/$16 plus tax by calling Place des Arts at 604-664-1636 or visiting Eventbrite.

For more information, you can also visit Place des Arts' website.