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Anton Stepanovich Arensky (Russian:Анто́н Степа́нович Аре́нский; 12 July [O.S. 30 June] 1861 – 25 February [O.S. 12 February] 1905) was a Russian composer ofRomantic classical music, a pianist and a professor of music.
Arensky was born into an affluent, music-loving family inNovgorod,Russia. He was musically precocious and had composed a number of songs and piano pieces by the age of nine. With his mother and father, he moved toSaint Petersburg in 1879, where he studied composition privately with Karl Karlovich Zikke (1850-1890) and later at theSaint Petersburg Conservatory withNikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.[1]
After graduating from the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 1882, Arensky became a professor at theMoscow Conservatory. During his twelve years of professorship at Moscow, Arensky countedRachmaninoff,Scriabin,Glière,Grechaninov,Goldenweiser andMedtner, along with the celebrated pianistIgumnov, among his students.[2]
In 1895, Arensky returned to Saint Petersburg as the director of the Imperial Choir, a post for which he had been recommended byMily Balakirev. He retired from this position in 1901, living off a comfortable pension and spending his remaining time as a pianist, conductor, and composer.
Arensky died oftuberculosis in a sanatorium inPerkjärvi, in what was then the Russian-administeredGrand Duchy of Finland, at the age of 44. While very little is known about his private life, Rimsky-Korsakov alleges that drinking and gambling undermined his health.[3] He was buried in theTikhvin Cemetery.
TheAntarcticArensky Glacier was named after him.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was the greatest influence on Arensky's musical compositions. Indeed,Rimsky-Korsakov said, "In his youth, Arensky did not escape some influence from me; later, the influence came from Tchaikovsky. He will quickly be forgotten."[4] The perception that he lacked a distinctive personal style contributed to long-term neglect of his music, though in recent years, a large number of his compositions have been recorded. Especially popular are theVariations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky for string orchestra, Op. 35a - arranged from the slow movement of Arensky's 2nd string quartet, and based on one of Tchaikovsky'sSongs for Children, Op. 54.
Arensky was, perhaps, at his best in the genre ofchamber music, in which he wrote twostring quartets, twopiano trios, and apiano quintet.
(for solo piano unless otherwise specified)
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