Anton Arensky (1861-1906)
Symphony No. 1 in B minor Op. 4 (1883)
Cantata on the Tenth Anniversary of the Coronation, Op. 26
Fantasia on Themes by I.T. Ryabinin, Op. 48
Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky, Op. 35a
Three Vocal Quartets, Op. 57
Tatiana Sharova (soprano), Andrei Baturkin (baritone)
Tatiana Polyanskaya (piano), Dmitri Miller (cello)
Russian State Symphonic Cappella & Symphony Orchestra/Valeri Polyansky
rec. 2001, Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory
First recordings: Cantata, Quartets
Chandos CHAN10086 [73]

I confess that when I opted to review this disc I did not realise that it had first been released as long ago as 2003 but was not reviewed on this site until David Barker did so in 2014. I would characterise his response overall to the music as politely indifferent, as while he found things to praise in the symphony and the Tchaikovsky variations, he observed that “it would seem that the orchestra wasn’t his forte”, and regarding the fillers he said “none of them make any great impression.”

This is a disc for those curious about a lesser Russian composer who, sadly, died young from the effects of a dissolute life without ever really achieving his potential. Certainly the most interesting things here are the Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky – the work whereby Arensky is most remembered and performed – and the symphony which, as DB remarks distinctly displays Tchaikovskian elements, such as the dramatic grumbling motif heard in the opening and is repeated throughout the first movement, reminiscent of moments in Francesca da Rimini, coloured by orchestrational techniques learned from the young Arensky’s teacher Rimsky-Korsakov; I also hear allusions to Glazunov, Taneyev and Rachmaninov (who graduated from the Moscow Conservatory with him). It’s not exactly catchy or memorable but it is varied, energetic and entertaining. The Andante surges passionately and to my ears contains identifiable snippets of Scheherazade and the Scherzo is lively but again, both remain rather empty, relying on a sequence of stock gestures. The finale scampers along in jolly style, substituting sheer energy and momentum for invention; in truth, it outstays its welcome.

The Cantata is conventional but features some good choral and solo singing. The notes describe the text as “functional rather than inspired” and I fear that applies to quite a lot of the music here in general. The Fantasia, well played as it is and full of flashy effects, tends to wash over the listener without making any great impression. The three vocal quartets for choir are again pleasant but undistinguished apart from the unusual feature of having solo cello accompaniment.

The other main work here is the Variations, its theme lifted from the song “Legend”, the fifth of Tchaikovsky’s Sixteen Children’s Songs and first employed in the slow movement of Arensky’s String Quartet No. 2. It is perhaps rather ironic that the most memorable item here is based on another, superior composer’s tune and it displays a unity and coherence somewhat lacking in the symphony.

The playing, conducting and sound here are all exemplary; whether the music itself is of sufficient quality to prompt it being revisited is more open to debate.

Ralph Moore

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Previous review: David Barker (July 2014)