Evento

Taneyev and Arensky: In Tchaikovsky's Shadow

Alexander Kobrin, piano
Philippe Quint, violin
Milena Pajaro van de Stadt, viola
Zlatomir Fung, cello
Brook Speltz, cello
Ji in Yang, violin

Illustrated talk by Damian Fowler

Sergei Taneyev Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 30
Anton Arensky String Quartet No. 2 in A minor

Blazing stars such as Tchaikovsky risk eclipsing less sensational talents, but these more modest figures can have their moments of greatness too. Anton Arensky's Quartet, composed in memory of Tchaikovsky, is for an ensemble of single violin, viola and two cellos, giving the sound a haunting dark richness. Quotations from Orthodox chants and from Tchaikovsky's song 'Legend' suggest a prayer for the composers soul, but the outcome is joyous and celebratory. Tchaikovsky's pupil Sergei Taneyev is sometimes called 'the Russian Brahms'. He cherished Classicism and intricate counterpoint and set his face against populist emotionalism. His Piano Quintet is powerful and purposeful, however, and its sense of heroic determination is ultimately very moving.