Anton Arensky composed his Trio in D minor, Op. 32, in 1894. It was written in memory of Karl Davidov, a famous cellist and director of the St. Petersburg Conservatory. The whole work is in four movements, with the first movement built on three themes. The subsequent scherzi is the only movement in the major mode. Movement three, “Elegia,” is the most serious of the four. The finale opens with the most dramatic theme in the entire work, replacing the air of lamentation with a combative stance, but balanced by a reminiscence of the “Elegia” theme, then a reprise of the first movement’s principal theme and a short coda.
