Historical Context

Anton Arensky was born in 1861. He was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor at the St. Petersburg conservatory where he took many pupils such as Sergei Rachmaninoff and Aleksandr Scriabin. Later in his life, Arensky taught at the Moscow Conservatory, and added many other famous pupils to his namesake. He became the music director of the Imperial Chapel of St. Petersburg from 1895 to 1901. During this time, he still wrote music and conducted, while travelling widely. Arensky continued travelling and conducing until his death in 1906

His Famous Compositions

Arensky's music is very reflective of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky as well as other composers of the day. He wrote several pieces for orchestra as well as several for chamber music. His two symphonies and his single violin concerto are rather expressive of Russia at that time. The best known of Arensky's compositions is his Piano Trio in d, op.32, the first of two of his piano trios. His first piano trio was written in 1894 and heavily shows the influence of Felix Mendelssohn. Arensky's other chamber pieces include two String Quartets, Op. 11 in G and Op. 35 in a, and a Piano Quintet in D, Op. 51.

• List of Chamber Works by Arensky
• Other Romantic Composers

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