Brent Quam/Winonan

The Truman State University Trio performed for an audience of forty at Winona State University Tuesday, March 12.

Trio members clarinetist Jesse Krebs, cellist Brian Kubin and pianist Ilia Radoslavov are senior music department faculty members at Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo.

The group also had a date in Cedar Falls, Iowa, at the University of Northern Iowa before returning home to enjoy the remainder of their spring break.

The recital program consisted of five pieces of chamber music.  “Chamber music started with the Renaissance,” Krebs said.

“A king or lord would invite a small group of musicians to play for him in his chamber, and that’s where we get the name.”
The trio began with “Trio in B-flat Major, Opus 11,” by Ludwig von Beethoven, which is performed in three parts, or movements.

Daniel Sheridan, an assistant professor of music at Winona State, said, “It depends on the composer, but movements usually each touch on a different theme. Fast, slow, and then fast again is a typical pattern they follow.”

Krebs performed the next piece solo, “Three Etudes on Themes of Gershwin,” by composer Paul Harvey.  Next, Kubin took the stage to play the slow and somber “The Cellist of Sarajevo” by David Wilde.

Kubin explained before playing that the piece was dedicated to cellist Vedran Smailovic, who frequently played in public places during the conflict in Sarajevo during the 1990s in honor of its civilian victims.

The Trio ended with their rendition of Nino Rota’s “Trio.” Nino Rota is known best for his work on the music of the first two installments of the popular Godfather film trilogy.

Attendees seemed to prefer the pieces they were most familiar with themselves. “I liked the Beethoven best,” said Sheridan, “because I’ve played it.”

Winona State student Mitch Meyer especially enjoyed the Paul Harvey piece Krebs performed. “I liked the Gershwin most,” he said. “I’m a clarinetist myself, and there were so many contrasting moments, so many highs and lows.”

Krebs said clarinet wasn’t even his first choice of instrument. “In high school, I wanted to play trumpet,” he said. “For the girls. But we found a clarinet at a garage sale, so here I am.”

Winona State’s Department of Music can be contacted for information on further upcoming events.

Contact Brent at [email protected]