PIANO PIECES OF A. S. ARENSKY ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE CYCLE OP. 36

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the piano works of Anton S. Arensky (1861–1906), one of the most famous Russian composers of the late XIXth – early XXth centuries. Throughout his career, the composer turned to various genres (he created three operas, a ballet, a lot of symphonic and chamber pieces), but compositions for piano solo were among his favorites. This genre in many ways corresponded to the specifics of the composer's talent, his inclination towards chamberness and lyricism, and became a kind of "creative laboratory", where many tendencies, later used in other genres, were worked out. It was in piano pieces that the most attractive qualities of his music were revealed — an amazing melodic gift, finesse and detailed elaboration of all aspects of composition. The author pays particular attention to the cycle of 24 piano pieces Op. 36. Due to embodiment of many melodic, texture, and harmony features typical for Arensky, it became a kind of quintessence of his piano style. It is also important that many features of the composer’s style influenced musicians of the next generation, including Sergey Rachmaninoff and Nikolay Medtner.