BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van (1770-1827); DEU [all files] String Quartet No.11 in F-, Op.95 1.Allegro con brio; 2.Allegretto ma non troppo; 3.Allegro assai vivace; 4.Larghetto espressivo-Allegretto agitato [20:37 · 18.9M] Glinka String Quartet A.Arenkow, 1st Violin I.Dimitriev, 2nd Violin G.Kantsian, Viola I.Bairov, Cello SCHUBERT, Franz Peter (1797-1828); AUT [all files] Fantasy for Violin and Piano in C-, D.934, Op.post.159 [24:35 · 22.5M] A.Arenkow, Violin J.Smirnov, Piano Rondo for Violin and Piano in Bb- 'Rondo brillant', D.895, Op.70 [15:36 · 14.3M] A.Arenkow, Violin A.Kornejenko, Piano Violin Sonata in A, D.574, Op.posth.162 A.Arenkow, Violin J.Smirnov, Piano 1.Allegro moderato [8:27 · 7.7M] 2.Scherzo-Presto [4:07 · 3.8M] 3.Andantino [4:15 · 3.9M] 4.Allegro vivace [5:09 · 4.7M] SHOSTAKOVICH, Dmitri (1906-75); RUS [all files] String Quartet No.8, Op.110 1.Largo; 2.Allegro molto; 3.Allegretto; 4.Largo; 5.Largo [20:16 · 18.6M] Glinka String Quartet A.Arenkow, 1st Violin I.Dimitriev, 2nd Violin G.Kantsian, Viola I.Bairov, Cello TCHAIKOVSKY, Pyotr Ilich (1840-93); RUS [all files] String Quartet No.3 in Eb-, Op.30 (vinyl recording) Glinka String Quartet A.Arenkow, 1st Violin S.Pishugin, 2nd Violin M.Geller, Viola D.Fershtman, Cello 1.Andante sostenuto [15:00 · 13.7M] 2.Allegretto vivo e scherzando [3:38 · 3.3M] 3.Andante funebre e doloroso, ma con moto [10:26 · 9.5M] 4.Finale: Allegro non troppo e risoluto [6:07 · 5.6M]

Alexander Arenkow

Alexander Arenkow was born in the former Soviet Union and studied violin at the Moscow Conservatory with David Oistrach. Following graduation, he continued his studies with Prof. Oistrach for an additional four years. During this period he was awarded prizes both in the All Union Competition of the Soviet Union for Violin and the Wieniawski Competition.

In 1967 he founded and became first violinist of the Glinka String Quartet, which went on to win 1st Prize at the International Competition in Liège. The Glinka String Quartet performed concerts throughout Europe and the Soviet Union, and worked closely with several top Soviet composers - including Dmitri Shostakovich, Aram Khachaturian, Alfred Schnitke and others.

In 1981, Mr. Arenkow emigrated from the USSR to Vienna, taking a post at the Vienna Conservatory - where he continues to teach. From 1981-83 he was the first Concertmaster of the Anton Bruckner Symphony, and performed under Zubin Meta in the Festival "Maggio Musicale" in Florence.

Mr. Arenkow is very active as a teacher of Master classes, including at the International Kammermusik Festival Austria, the Midsummer Music Festival in Sweden, the Ost-West Musikfest (Vienna), and at the Seoul and Tokyo Conservatories. He regularly takes part in the Juries of international competitions - including the Rodolfo Lipizer Competition (Italy), the Postacchini Competition (Italy), the Brahms Competition (Austria) and the Pablo Sarasate Competition (Spain). Many of his students have gone on to become leading soloists and concertmasters in several orchestras in Europe.

Reviews

      "In Quartet No. 3, the Glinka Quartet eschews dazzling the ear in favor of sober exposition. If the first movement's flourishes sound a trifle prosaic, one cannot fault the players for letting the score speak for itself. The snail's pace of the next movement is potentially more controversial; I find that the proceedings bog down, but others may sense increased gravity. This certainly does provide more contrast than usual to the martial march of the third movement, especially since that too is on the slow side in this account. The clear-eyed Adagio that follows is also slow to the point of stalling, but the last movement impresses with its seriousness."

DSCH Journal (England)

Alexander Arenkow email: arenkow@aon.at website: http://www.internationacademyofmusic.com