Sample programme
- Beethoven Trio, Op.38 (composer’s arrangement of Septet Op.20)
- 1st movement: Adagio-Allegro con brio
- Britten Three Character Pieces (Sarah Beth Briggs gave the world premiere of these pieces)
- Hurlstone Trio
- Interval
- Elgar Romance, Op.62
- Vaughan Williams Four Studies in English Folksong
- Schumann Fantasiestucke Op. 73 for Clarinet and Piano
- Glinka Trio Pathetique
Clarion3 was established in 2002. This highly original Clarinet, Bassoon and Piano trio has won much national acclaim.
The trio showcases the talents of Janet Hilton ‘rare lightness and grace’ (Financial Times), Perkins ‘a most alluring sound’ (BBC Music Magazine) and Briggs ‘exceptional elegance and taste’ (Daily Telegraph) who also perform solo items in a superbly varied evening of music making. Ensemble repertoire includes neglected masterpieces by Hurlstone, Glinka and others, alongside timeless gems such as Beethoven’s own arrangement of his delightful Septet.
‘The music (William Hurlstone’s Trio) was never played during the composer’s lifetime and if there is a heaven he’s there, and surely grateful for Clarion 3’s convincing advocacy’
“Here there was a beautiful sense of instrumental colour, production of lovely woodwind tone and blend, pianistic technical dexterity, sophisticated, flexible phrasing and much evidence of all-round careful preparation.”
“This concert by Clarion3 was just about as good as they get! Live music-making at its very best!… In addition to their consummate skills as artists, they were each able to talk to their very appreciative audience with gentle wit and illuminating insight.”
About Janet:
Janet is recognised as one of the leading clarinettists in the UK. She has performed with many of Britain’s finest orchestras, and has also become renowned for her superb chamber music interpretations with such well known ensembles as the Lindsay, Endellion and Chillingirian String Quartets. Her many overseas engagements have included concerts in Holland, Canada and the USA, (where she has regularly worked with the Michigan based chamber group, Fontana) a recital tour of the major European Opera houses with Margaret Price, concerts in Italy (at the Incontri in Tierra di Siena festival and with the Alessandro Scarlatti Orchestra in Naples) and work for the Gstaad Festival in Switzerland. In Britain, she has appeared at many festivals, including Aldeburgh, Bath, Cheltenham, City of London, Edinburgh, Harrogate, and the BBC Proms.
Her extensive list of recordings for the Chandos label includes Chandos label includes the chamber music of Brahms and Weber, trios by Mozart, Bruch and Schumann, and Concertos by Weber, Stanford, Nielsen and Copland. She has recorded Malcolm Arnold’s first Clarinet Concerto for EMI, and the Mozart Clarinet Quintet for ASV.
Her most recent recording of solo clarinet music on the Clarinet Classics label was released in 2016. Five years previously, she released four concertos written for her by Alun Hoddinott, John McCabe, Edward Harper and Dame Elizabeth Maconchy on the same label.
Alongside her solo career, Janet has been Principal Clarinet of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Welsh National Opera and Kent Opera Orchestras and the Manchester Camerata. She is a Professor of Clarinet at the Royal College of Music, where she was Head of Woodwind from 1998-2010. She also gives regular high profile international masterclasses.
About Laurence:
Laurence Perkins is one of Britain’s most highly respected bassoon soloists. He has performed and recorded much of the bassoon’s solo repertoire. His recitals include concerts at the Wigmore Hall, the Purcell Room, and performances throughout the UK and abroad, including a tour of Eastern Europe for the British Council. He has given concerto performances with orchestras in Belarus, Ukraine and Portugal. In the UK, Laurence has performed concertos with many leading orchestras, including the English Chamber Orchestra and Manchester Camerata, working with conductors such as Sir Charles Groves, Sian Edwards and Carlo Rizzi.
He was principal bassoonist with the Manchester Camerata from 1974 – 2017. His overseas concerts with them included performances in France, Germany, Norway, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia.
His commercial recordings for Hyperion include a CD of concertos by Mozart and Weber with the Manchester Camerata, conducted by Douglas Boyd. This compilation received outstanding critical acclaim in the national press. He also recorded an earlier award-winning album for the same label in 1982 and has made numerous solo and chamber music recordings for IMP/Pickwick and Clarinet Classics. His latest Hyperion recording of music by Beethoven, Glinka and Strauss is due for release in autumn 2018.
Laurence is a bassoon tutor at the Royal Northern College of Music and a regular bassoon and chamber music tutor at summer schools in the UK and overseas.