Arlequin Trio
Oboist Roland Perrenoud, clarinettist Michael Reid and bassoonist David Schneebeli have been playing together since 1986. They are all or have been employed as solo wind players in major Swiss orchestras- Roland Perrenoud was former principal of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Geneva, Michael Reid is in the Tonhalle – Orchester Zürich and David Schneebeli in the Sinfonieorchester Basel. The Arlequin trio has performed successfully all over Switzerland, as well as in France, Holland and Great Britain. These performances are often linked to chamber music workshops. Up until 2018 the Arlequin Trio held an annual “International Summer Course for Winds” at the Hindemith Music Centre in Blonay, Switzerland for 15 years. Many students from all corners of the world who took part in the course, are now working as professional musicians.
Trio d’Anches (Reed Trios) represents an especially demanding category of woodwind chamber music. Just as with string trios, creating a balanced sound within the three-voice composition presents a difficult challenge to the players. The virtuosity of the individual players is balanced with the requirement to produce a tight and homogeneous Ensemble „Sound“. Furthermore, the very different characteristics of the three woodwind instruments (oboe, clarinet and bassoon) have to be overcome in order to produce a clear interpretation of a piece. The Arlequin Trio has approached this challenge with great care and dedication, and over the years has accumulated an extensive selection of the trio repertoire. In a constant quest to expand its repertoire, the trio invites other musicians to join and play with the ensemble. This led to the forming of the Arlequin Ensemble in 1998.