Opera Heritage of Anton Arensky in the Context of the Culture of the Silver Age
Authors: Поляков Д.М. 
Published: June 2023

Цель исследования – анализ оперного наследия А. С. Аренского и определение традиционных и новаторских черт в его операх. Оперное наследие выдающегося русского композитора рассматривается в соотношении с процессами развития отечественной художественной культуры Серебряного века. Материалами исследования послужили оперы А. С. Аренского «Сон на Волге», «Рафаэль», «Наль и Дамаянти», а также результаты научных изысканий российских музыковедов и культурологов. В процессе исследования охарактеризованы художественно-эстетические особенности искусства Серебряного века, проведены параллели между композиторским творчеством А. С. Аренского и культурной парадигмой его времени, проанализирована сюжетная и музыкально-драматургическая специфика его опер. Установлено, что наследие А. С. Аренского отличается жанровым разнообразием и объединяет как традиции русской классической музыкальной культуры, так и черты новаторства: стилевое многообразие и веяния культуры Серебряного века.

The aim of the article is to analyze the opera heritage of Anton Arensky and identify traditional and innovative features in his operas. The opera heritage of the outstanding Russian composer is considered in relation to the development of the Russian artistic culture of the Silver Age. The materials of the study were musical texts and audio recordings of Arensky’s operas, as well as the conclusions and results of research undertaken by domestic musicologists and culturologists. As a methodological basis, a system-historical approach was used in conjunction with comparative-historical and functional methods. In the course of the study, the author characterizes artistic and aesthetic features of the art of the Silver Age, draws parallels between Arensky’s composing work and the cultural paradigm of his time, and analyzes the plot and musical-dramatic specifics of his operas. Arensky’s works are marked by the traditions laid down by outstanding Russian composers Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The characteristic features that determine Arensky’s creative style are revealed, the most important of which are the originality of the melodic lexicon, the brilliant mastery of the composer’s technique and musicality – the synthesis of chant with the whimsical sinuousness of the line that is characteristic of the modern era. The author emphasizes that, in a variety of style models created by the composer, there is a synthesis of romantic traditions and modern trends. He points out that, using the traditional methods of composing, Arensky rethought the key features of his era. The main features of the composer’s musical style, reflected in his operas, are identified: (1) expressive cantilena melody, (2) modern bright harmony, (3) clarity and harmony of compositional forms, and (4) increased attention to the means of expression, contributing to the embodiment of romantic changeable images (dynamics and agogics). The author notes that at present the name of Arensky is not identified with the brightest achievements of the turn of the 20th century, but he made his significant contribution to the development of Russian musical culture. The author has established that Arensky’s creative heritage is distinguished by its genre diversity: from symphonic large forms to piano miniatures and operas. The composer’s operas combine the traditions of Russian classical musical culture and features of innovation: stylistic diversity and cultural trends of the Silver Age.