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Arensky: Piano Music / Adam Neiman
Naxos

Arensky: Piano Music / Adam Neiman

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Details

Composer
ARENSKY, ANTON STEPANOVICH
Artist
Adam Neiman
Format
CD
Label
Naxos
Released
Jul 27, 2010
Catalog #
8572233
UPC
747313223374

About



ARENSKY 6 Pieces, op. 53; 4 Etudes, op. 41; 12 Etudes, op. 74; 6 Esquisses, “Près de la mer,” op. 52 • Adam Neiman (pn) • NAXOS 8.572233 (63:37)


Rimsky-Korsakov, writing in his Chronicles of My Musical Life , said that he believed his student Anton Arensky “will soon be forgotten.” Apart from a few compositions that are still performed today, among them the Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky, the D-Minor Piano Trio, and the suites for two pianos, most of Arensky’s works have suffered just that fate. Happily, some of these lesser-known works are being explored again, notably here, and in a field in which Arensky spent a good deal of his attention, the piano music.


All of the works on the present recital are similar in that they are all less than five minutes in length. If there is one strong point to Arensky’s compositional skills, it is that he is able to use this characteristic to his advantage to create mood quickly and effectively. Once Arensky has chosen the basic mood of the piece, there is a fundamental continuity of mood that exists until the end. But though many of the lyrical pieces make pleasant listening, most of the melodic material is forgettable. That said, there are beautifully conceived moments, in which Arensky’s attention to details of figuration brings much interest to the pieces. One such moment can be found in the lyrical D-Major Etude of op. 74, with its static sense of waterfall-like arpeggiations. The grand dotted rhythms of the French overture-like prelude (minus the fugue) in the op. 53 set is yet another. Adam Neiman is a good advocate for much of this repertoire, as he possesses the technical prowess necessary to play these pieces, and a feeling for tonal shading and breath. The lighter pieces (the Scherzo, also in the op. 53 set, for example) suffer perhaps a bit from heavy-handedness, but not so much as to disturb the generally playful character that he brings to the music.


This is not essential listening, but it is enlightening to hear a composition every once in a while that reminds one of the next generation of Russian composers, in particular Arensky’s own students—both Rachmaninoff and Scriabin being among them. Recorded in excellent sound, on a Fazioli grand piano, Neiman makes this music sound as good as any I’ve heard. The repertoire is specialized but the price is right. Recommended for those, then, who particularly like Russian music, or who want to delve deeper into their understanding of the roots of 20th-century Russian music.


FANFARE: Scott Noriega

Tracklist 28 tracks

  1. 1 No. 1. Prelude 03:13
    Track
    1
    Title
    No. 1. Prelude
    Duration
    03:13
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  2. 2 No. 2. Scherzo 03:08
    Track
    2
    Title
    No. 2. Scherzo
    Duration
    03:08
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  3. 3 No. 3. Élégie 03:27
    Track
    3
    Title
    No. 3. Élégie
    Duration
    03:27
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  4. 4 No. 4. Mazurka 01:38
    Track
    4
    Title
    No. 4. Mazurka
    Duration
    01:38
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  5. 5 No. 5. Romance 02:27
    Track
    5
    Title
    No. 5. Romance
    Duration
    02:27
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  6. 6 No. 6. Etude 01:41
    Track
    6
    Title
    No. 6. Etude
    Duration
    01:41
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  7. 7 No. 1 in E-Flat Major 01:47
    Track
    7
    Title
    No. 1 in E-Flat Major
    Duration
    01:47
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  8. 8 No. 2 in F-Sharp Major 02:13
    Track
    8
    Title
    No. 2 in F-Sharp Major
    Duration
    02:13
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  9. 9 No. 3 in E-Flat Minor 01:50
    Track
    9
    Title
    No. 3 in E-Flat Minor
    Duration
    01:50
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  10. 10 No. 4 in A Minor 01:24
    Track
    10
    Title
    No. 4 in A Minor
    Duration
    01:24
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  11. 11 No. 1 in C Major 01:54
    Track
    11
    Title
    No. 1 in C Major
    Duration
    01:54
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  12. 12 No. 2 in C Minor 02:09
    Track
    12
    Title
    No. 2 in C Minor
    Duration
    02:09
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  13. 13 No. 3 in D-Flat Major 02:01
    Track
    13
    Title
    No. 3 in D-Flat Major
    Duration
    02:01
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  14. 14 No. 4 in C-Sharp Minor 01:43
    Track
    14
    Title
    No. 4 in C-Sharp Minor
    Duration
    01:43
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  15. 15 No. 5 in D Major 01:57
    Track
    15
    Title
    No. 5 in D Major
    Duration
    01:57
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  16. 16 No. 6 in D Minor 01:14
    Track
    16
    Title
    No. 6 in D Minor
    Duration
    01:14
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  17. 17 No. 7 in E-Flat Major 02:29
    Track
    17
    Title
    No. 7 in E-Flat Major
    Duration
    02:29
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  18. 18 No. 8 in E-Flat Minor 01:47
    Track
    18
    Title
    No. 8 in E-Flat Minor
    Duration
    01:47
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  19. 19 No. 9 in E Minor 01:08
    Track
    19
    Title
    No. 9 in E Minor
    Duration
    01:08
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  20. 20 No. 10 in F-Sharp Major 01:34
    Track
    20
    Title
    No. 10 in F-Sharp Major
    Duration
    01:34
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  21. 21 No. 11 in A-Flat Major 01:46
    Track
    21
    Title
    No. 11 in A-Flat Major
    Duration
    01:46
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  22. 22 No. 12 in G-Sharp Minor 01:25
    Track
    22
    Title
    No. 12 in G-Sharp Minor
    Duration
    01:25
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  23. 23 No. 1. Andante sostenuto 02:33
    Track
    23
    Title
    No. 1. Andante sostenuto
    Duration
    02:33
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  24. 24 No. 2. Allegro vivace 02:57
    Track
    24
    Title
    No. 2. Allegro vivace
    Duration
    02:57
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  25. 25 No. 3. Moderato 04:15
    Track
    25
    Title
    No. 3. Moderato
    Duration
    04:15
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  26. 26 No. 4. Allegro moderato 02:56
    Track
    26
    Title
    No. 4. Allegro moderato
    Duration
    02:56
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  27. 27 No. 5. Allegro scherzando 02:32
    Track
    27
    Title
    No. 5. Allegro scherzando
    Duration
    02:32
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman
  28. 28 No. 6. Presto 02:43
    Track
    28
    Title
    No. 6. Presto
    Duration
    02:43
    Composer
    Anton Stepanovich Arensky
    Performer
    Adam Neiman