In Memoriam

One of the most sombrely beautiful pieces of music I know is the rare String Quartet # 2 by Anton Arensky.  This Russian composer was an admirer of Tchaikovsky, and it shows in his music.  Indeed, one of the very few pieces he wrote to achieve any circulation was his set of Variations on Tchaikovsky's song Legend.  Arensky had a real gift for melody, but his style never really ventured beyond that of his teacher. 

This Quartet was written as a memorial to Tchaikovsky soon after the older composer died.  It has a rich, dark tone colour that is wholly Russian, thanks to the unusual instrumentation of violin-viola-2 cellos.  My guess would be that this is the feature which has doomed this piece to be a rarity.

The Quartet opens with a solemn intonation of a Russian Orthodox chant or hymn, accompanied by luminous harmonies.  Out of this grows the basic theme material of the first movement, in which the repeated notes of the chant recur from time to time.  The hymn tune is recalled at the end as the movement sinks to end in an atmosphere of darkness and grief.

The second movement is the set of variations I mentioned a minute ago.  Most people who have heard this piece have encountered Arensky's transcription for full string orchestra, but it works just as well in its original chamber format.  The variations range through a wide variety of moods: exultant, meditative, vehement, and wistful by turns.  The last variation, slow and tragic, leads into another recall of the chant from the first movement, before a brief coda brings the variations to a quiet close.

The final movement, after another slow and sombre passage by way of introduction, leaves behind the grief-laden atmosphere heard until now.   The main theme is another hymn tune, one you may recognize from Beethoven's Razumovsky Quartets or from the Coronation Scene of Boris Godunov by Mussorgsky.  But this one is played at an upbeat tempo and immediately subjected to fugal treatment.  One more short, slow interlude recalls the introduction, and then the music launches out into an impassioned coda, still using the main theme, which continues to accelerate to a more joyful conclusion.

Recordings of this solemn yet heartfelt music are very rare, but there is one currently available.  It comes in a 6-CD set from the super-bargain Brilliant Classics label.  The set includes also Arensky's Piano Trio (a better known piece), two major works by Taneyev (I already discussed the Piano Quintet last month), and works by Shostakovich and Catoire.  Exemplary performances of this diverse repertoire by the artists of the Amsterdam Chamber Music Society.  All in all, it's a highly recommendable reissue!