The Arensky Chamber Orchestra

This past year has been a tough time for the arts. Faced with large budget cuts, many cultural bodies have had to stop various programmes and downsize their ambitions. Yet in spite of the difficult financial circumstances, there have been success stories to provide some cheer as the year comes to a close.

The Arts Council has announced its Renaissance in the Regions programme which is spreading millions of pounds around the country. The Cultural Olympiad will be using next year’s games to put on a diverse array of activities that will leave a lasting heritage long after the games have finished.

On a smaller level, other bodies and groups are bucking the trend against the times of austerity by coming together to keep London’s heritage as a world cultural leader going. One example of this phenomenon is the Arensky Chamber Orchestra who finish their inaugural season at the Cadogan Hall on November 10.

Named after the Russian composer Anton Arensky, who nurtured the talent of Sergei Rachmaninoff while at the Moscow Conservatoire, the group features some of the country’s most promising young professional musicians and singers. Since their début concert in September of last year, they have gone onto produce a series of entertaining concerts.

Their programme has been varied and has been able to mix well known composers with works from less prominent artists. January saw them combine Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (the piece of music which has been used on every House of Frasier commercial that I can remember) with Ástor Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.

The group has not been afraid to use pieces from contemporary composers as seen in their concert in March. Their Musical Portraits concert saw them include the challenging Albert Schnelzer along with pieces by Grieg and Vivaldi.

All of which leads very nicely to their season finale in their adopted home of Cadogan Hall. It will be the first concert under the leadership of their new artistic director William Kunhardt and features a triptych of diverse but complimentary composers. Even those with a faint interest in classical music will know the name of Richard Wagner. Famous for his Ring Cycle opera with its Norse mythology and booming arias, Wagner presents a much more sensitive piece in the form of Siegfried Idyll, a symphonic love poem to his wife after the birth of his son. Also featuring is Ravel’s jazz-infused Piano Concerto in G along with Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite.

The concert is not just a celebration of a fantastic year’s work by all those involved in the orchestra. It is a testament to the fact that even in these straitened times, there are those who are willing to work together to keep culture alive.

The Arensky Chamber Orchestra will be making their season finale on November 10 at:

Cadogan Hall
5 Sloane Terrace
Sloane Square
SW1X 9DQ

Tel: 020 7730 4500