Anton Arensky - String Quartet No. 1 in G major, Op. 11 (1888)

 

 

Anton Arensky

Anton Arensky, 1895

 

(Russian: Анто́н Степа́нович Аре́нский; 12 July [O.S. 30 June] 1861 – 25 February [O.S. 12 February] 1906) was a Russian composer of Romantic classical music, a pianist and a professor of music.

 

String Quartet No. 1 in G major, Op. 11 (1888)

Dedicated to Herman Laroche (1845–1904)

1. Allegro (0:00)
2. Andante sostenuto (7:51)
3. Menuetto. Allegretto (13:09)
4. Finale (Variations sur un thème russe). Allegro non troppo (16:19)

Ying Quartet

From Edition Silvertrust
“Arensky's String Quartet No.1 in G, Op.11 dates from 1888. The Allegro opens with a very dramatic, almost virtuosic, first theme. A slight Andante has a fine melody and is full of contrapuntal writing. The light hearted Minuetto allegretto which follows sounds like something out of Les Vendredis. The finale, Variations sur un thème russe is quite striking and exciting with many extraordinary effects in the succeeding variations."
—The Chamber Music Journal.

Anton Arensky (1861-1906) was born in Novgorod but his family moved to St. Petersburg while he was still relatively young. His first piano lessons were from his mother. He entered the Petersburg Conservatory in 1879 and three years later graduated with high honors. Among his principal teachers was Rimsky-Korsakov. He subsequently taught at the Moscow Conservatory where he befriended and was influenced by Tchaikovsky and Sergei Taneyev.

Performed by the Lajtha Quartet.

 

림스키코르사코프의 제자였지만 차이코프스키에 보다 가까워 서정적이고 애조 띤 음악을 많이 작곡했다. 3편의 오페라 가운데 제일 먼저 작곡한 〈볼가 강 위의 꿈 A Dream on the Volga〉(1892, 모스크바)만이 성공적이었다.

피아노 3중주와 현악 4중주 A단조는 그의 작품 가운데 최고의 것들이다. 100곡이 넘는 피아노곡들 중에는 2대의 피아노를 위한 4개의 모음곡이 포함되어 있다. 모스크바에서 지휘했고, 이외에도 1882~95년 모스크바 음악원에서 가르쳤으며 1895~1901년 상트페테르부르크에 있는 황실 교회의 지휘자로 있었다.[다음백과]