Born 21 years after Tchaikovsky and 20 years before Stravinsky, Anton Stepanovich Arensky belongs to that in-between generation (with Grechaninov, Liadov and Taneyev) which so rarely lived up to its early promise. The two symphonies offer a remarkably clear demonstration of his dilemma.
The First dates from 1883 and is the work of an extraordinarily gifted recent graduate. From the arresting opening, from the trio section of the 5/4 scherzo and several other details, one might posit the influence of Tchaikovsky's Pathetique, were it not for the fact that it predates that masterpiece by a full decade. Some of the structural seams show, but then that was Tchaikovsky's self-diagnosed weakness also, and in general the young Arensky's grasp of symphonic flow is secure. Nor is his imagination noticeably constrained—when all the first movement's academic dues have been paid it still has credit to spend on an expansive coda. The finale, with folk-song variations and some half-hearted contrapuntal fiddling, is the least able to stand up to the Tchaikovsky comparison which the whole work invites.
The Second Symphony of 1889 is more adventurous harmonically and more concise in structure, to the extent of running the four movements into one. This layout is not handled with any great assurance, however, and once the intermezzo third movement has let the tension ebb away the finale's recapitulatory role seems decidedly forced. But the speed of thought in the first movement has shades of the early Stravinsky, and the fugato in the finale momentarily has one thinking of the latter's Octet for wind instruments. Maybe Arensky's 'time' might have been the next generation rather than, as often claimed, the previous one.
These Melodiya recordings are from 1983 and the LPs have had some currency, courtesy of Harmonia Mundi's nineteenth-century Russian symphony series. Sound-quality is good but with a tendency to overload at climaxes—the transfer to CD is at Olympia's customary high level and may need some taming. The orchestral playing in both symphonies and in the rather vacuous overture is not the most refined in the world but its freshness and earthiness are just what the music needs.'