Arensky: Egyptian Nights (re-release) #8573633

[sdtom]

Originally released on Marco Polo 8.225028 in 1997 this unsung piece by Arensky was written in 1900 toward the end of his life and not performed until after his death in 1908, somewhat based on Lane's "An Account of the Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians" which gives us the principal theme a somewhat jittery introduction to this Cleopatra story. Can one hear Rimsky-Korsakov, his teacher, in it? You be the judge. It is a series of 14 dances which is seldom performed today. I still think it has some merit and should be listened to. Each dance has a unique sound to it and not having seen his only ballet cannot judge it on merits as to the dancing.

[sdtom]

Has anyone ever seen this?

[Mark Thomas]

I've had the original Marco Polo CD since it was first issued, but I can't remember the last time I played it.

[sdtom]

You owe it a listen. It is a pre soundtrack with melodies you can remember the tempos and themes which could have made an interesting ballet. Like you, it was one and done for me as an MP. I read his bio. Does anyone have other orchestral releases? The piano trio? Worth a listen to this minor Russian unsung composer.

[Christopher]

Does anyone have other orchestral releases? The piano trio? Worth a listen to this minor Russian unsung composer.

There's a fair amount of his works recorded out there.  I would particularly recommend his piano and violin concertos and his Ryabinin Fantasy.  But for me it's Zarema's Aria, from his opera The Fountains of Bakhchisarai that beats everything, and mostly because if I didn't know otherwise I would swear it's by Tchaikovsky, it would fit straight into Eugene Onegin - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok_fBIONTGg

[eschiss1]

2nd-rate, maybe, but hardly "minor". There are real minor composers out there; Arensky was a far cut above them.

[sdtom]

Alcohol and carousing contributed to what might have been for him.

[terry martyn]

Yes, I have that one too, John.   Having listened to extracts of the new / reissued CD on Presto, I have dedided that the old LP is still serviceable and I can save my money on this occasion, probably putting it towards Adam´s La jolie fille de Gand, which I am guessing is in the Naxos reissues´ pipeline.

[semloh]

Hmm ... my old Marco Polo disc is enjoyable enough and, in my view, adequate to the music.

[sdtom]

My tube pre-amp for my headphones detects a small difference (perhaps 25 years), but as you say it is not a favorite. I merely do my job for them. I now know the work well and can move onto the next project for Naxos.

[Gerhard Griesel]

Also, listen to this aria from Arensky's Raphael: Strast'yu i negoyu serdste trepetchet: https://youtu.be/DmobG28L3HA

[sdtom]

a talent that mixed with vodka was a poison.