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Despite his health already failing (presumably from too much drinking), and already living off from his pension after retiring from his post as director of the Imperial Choir in St. Petersburg, Anton Arensky was still very much active in composing, as seen here in his 12 Etudes for piano solo, composed a year before his death. These pieces, arranged almost in rising chromatic order, are indeed no joke, as he made sure to encompass certain techniques. No. 1 in C, No. 7 in E-flat, and No. 11 in A-flat focus on the melody, accompaniment and bassline being passed on both hands. No. 2 in C minor has a right hand melody accompanied by a constant stream of demisemiquavers on the left hand whirlwinding throughout. No. 3 in D-flat focuses on syncopation that will definitely confuse the player and audience if they're not listening carefully. No. 4 in C-sharp minor takes a darker mood than the previous studies as the notes, spaced almost two octaves apart, span across the high and low registers of the piano. No. 5 in D major requires participation of both hands to perfect its downward septuplet arpeggios. No. 6 in D minor is chock-full of hemiolas. No. 8 in E-flat minor and No. 9 in E minor focus on certain fingering patterns on the right hand, which will be tiring if not carefully handled. No. 10 in F-sharp is full of wide triplets for both hands. No. 12 in G-sharp minor, the last in the set, demands both hands to play three-note chords in a smooth manner. Please take note that the audio AND sheet music ARE NOT mine. Change the quality to a minimum of 480p if the video is blurry. Original audio: I actually forgot where since I had saved the file a long time ago... (Performance by: Anthony Goldstone) Original sheet music: ,(Arensky,_Anton)
