by Ben Hogwood. Picture of Arensky used courtesy of Wikipedia, unknown author

On this day, 165 years ago, a lesser known Russian composer by the name of Anton Arensky was born. Regular readers of Arcana may know that I have something of a soft spot for his music, which at its best channels the poise and elegance of Mendelssohn with the passion of Tchaikovsky. Earlier this year we learned about his songs, in the company of soprano Anastasia Prokofieva and pianist Sergey Rybin.

Yet there are many strings to Arensky’s bow, the most prominent of which is his Piano Trio no.1, a fine piece which you can listen to below, in a fine version from the Beaux Arts Trio:

Published post no.2,945 – Sunday 12 July 2026