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Aram Khachaturian
Info
06/06/1903
Tbilisi, Georgia
05/01/1978
Moscow, Russia
Russia
20th Century
Tbilisi, Georgia
05/01/1978
Moscow, Russia
Russia
20th Century
Biography
Born in Russia (now Georgia), the son of an Armenian bookbinder, Aram Khachaturian had a strong fascination with the folk music around him, yet his musical identity formed slowly. Even though he played tuba in his school band and was a self-taught pianist, he did not study music formally until entering Moscow's Gnesin Music Academy (as a cellist) in 1922. His considerable musical talents soon manifested themselves, and by 1925 he was studying composition privately with Gnesin himself. In 1929, Khachaturian joined Miaskovsky's composition class at the Moscow Conservatory. Khachaturian graduated in 1934, and before the completion, in 1937, of his postgraduate studies, the successful premieres of such works as the Symphony No. 2 in A Minor "With a Bell" (1935) and, especially, the Piano Concerto in D flat Major (1936) established Khachaturian as the leading Soviet composer of his generation.
Khachaturian emerged — along with Prokofiev and Shostakovich — as one of the most popular and successful composers of the Soviet period. As a composer, Khachaturian found himself imitating the melodies and rhythms of the Caucasian folk music from his youth. Thus, his unique musical idiom was indelibly marked by his Armenian heritage; his scores are noted for their sensuous, singing melodic writing, colorful orchestration, and elemental rhythmic drive.
Khachaturian was a devoted Russian and was awarded the Order of Lenin three times and the Stalin Prize four times among his many accolades. He wrote his second Symphony for the twenty-fifth anniversary of the October Revolution and during World War II served in the entertainment division of the Red Army and composed a series of Patriotic songs.
Known in the West chiefly as the composer of instrumental concerti and the vivid scores for the ballets Gayaneh and Spartacus (the former including the brilliant 'Sabre Dance'), his output also encompassed symphonies and other works for orchestra, film and theater music, works for band, chamber music, and a large number of patriotic and popular songs. Beginning in the early 1950s, Khachaturian taught at the Gnesin school and later for the Moscow Conservatory. Khachaturian's notable students included Aziz El-Shawan, Andrei Eshpai, Vyacheslav Grokhovsky, Mark Minkov, Georgs Pelēcis, Alexey Rybnikov, Tolib Shakhidi, Mikael Tariverdiev, Enrique Ubieta, and Anatol Vieru.
As a conductor, Khachaturian made several commercial recordings, including a 1953 recording of his second symphony with the National Philharmonic Orchestra, a 1963 stereo recording of the symphony with the Vienna Philharmonic, and EMI recordings of suites from Gayane and Masquerade and his violin concerto in 1954 (with David Oistrakh as soloist) with the Philharmonia Orchestra. He later made stereo recordings of the violin concerto (again with Oistrakh), the second symphony in 1977 on the Russian Disc label, and music from Gayane.
"I do not see how modern composers could isolate themselves from life and not want to work among society. The more impressions that come from contact with life, the more and better the creative ideas" — Aram Khachaturian
Main Works
BALLET
Gayane (includes the popular "Sabre Dance") - 1942
Spartacus - 1956
ORCHESTRAL
Symphony No. 1 - 1934
Suite from Gayane No. 1 - 1943
Suite from Gayane No. 2 - 1943
Suite from Gayane No. 3 - 1943
Symphony No. 2 - 1943, 1944
State Anthem of the Armenian SSR - 1944
Symphony No. 3, Symphony Poem - 1947
Suite from Masquerade - 1944
Symphonic Pictures from Spartacus - 1955
CONCERTI
Piano Concerto in D-flat major - 1936
Violin Concerto in D minor - 1940
Cello Concerto in E minor - 1946
PIANO
Variations on the Theme "Solveig" - 1928
Suite (Toccata, Waltz-Capriccio, Dance) - 1932
Dance No. 3 - 1933
March No. 3 - 1934
Waltz from Masquerade - 1952
Piano Sonata - 1961
FILM SCORES
Pepo - 1934-1935
Vladimir Ilich Lenin - 1948-49
The Battle of Stalingrad - 1949
Ships Storming the Bastions - 1953
Othello - 1955
BRASS BAND/WIND BAND
Combat March No. 1 - 1929
Combat March No. 2 - 1930
March No. 3 (Uzbek March) - 1932
March of the Moscow Red Banner Militia - 1973
INSTRUMENTAL
Elegy for cello and piano - 1925
Dance No. 1 for violin and piano - 1926
Pantomime for oboe and piano - 1927
Allegretto for violin and piano - 1929
Nocturne from Masquerade for violin and piano - 1941
