Karen Khachaturian
Karen Surenovich Khachaturian (Russian: Карэн Суренович Хачатурян, Armenian: Կարեն Խաչատրյան) (Moscow, 19 September 1920 – Moscow, 19 July 2011)[1] was a Soviet and Russian composer of Armenian ethnicity and the nephew of composer Aram Khachaturian.
Khachaturian was born in Moscow, the son of Suren Khachaturian, a theatrical director. His studies under Genrikh Litinsky at the Moscow Conservatory were interrupted by a term of duty in the entertainment division of the Red Army. Resuming his studies in 1945, he worked with Dmitri Shostakovich and Nikolai Myaskovsky.
In addition to a Violin Sonata (1947),[2] his works include a Cello Sonata (1966), a String Quartet (1969), four symphonies (1955, 1968, 1982, 1991) and a ballet, Cipollino (1973), as well as various other orchestral works and music for the theater and films.
Rhythmic drive and a careful and idiomatic use of his instrumental forces characterize his compositions.[3] He adopted a primarily tonal approach to composition. His works have been recorded by artists including David Oistrakh, Jascha Heifetz, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Vladimir Yampolsky. A recording of the opening of his first symphony was played in a lecture-demonstration given at the University of Warwick during the first academic year in which it had undergraduates (1965–1966), by Geoffrey Bush.
From 1952 to 2011 he taught at the Moscow Conservatory (since 1981 - professor). Among his students: A. Tchaikovsky, Alfred Schnittke, Sofia Gubaidulina, A. Baltin, A. Vieru (Romania), N. Terahara (Japan), Kang San U (PRC), V. Babushkin, V. Polyansky, Ashot Ariyan and many others.
Works
[edit]- String trio for violin, viola, and cello
- Violin Sonata, in G minor, Op. 1 composed in 1947. (for Leonid Kogan) – recorded by J. Heifetz and L. Steuber for RCA Victor Gold in 1966. n. of disc is – (GD87872)
- Cello Sonata, dedicated to Mstislav Rostropovich. First performed January 10, 1967
- String quartet.
- Trio for Violin, Horn and Piano (OCLC 225728893)
- 4 symphonies (as noted above)
- Viy
- Cipollino, ballet in 3 acts (1973)
Awards
[edit]Khachaturian was awarded the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class (2007), the Order of Honour (2000) and the Order of Friendship (1995). He was awarded the title People's Artist of the RSFSR (1981) and the USSR State Prize (1976, for the ballet "Cipollino") and the State Prize of the Russian Federation (2001). He also received the Diploma of the Russian Federation President[4] (March 6, 2011 – for great contribution to the development of national culture and the many years of creative activity) and the Moscow City Hall prize (1999).
References
[edit]- ^ Russian BBC: Karen Khachaturian died (in Russian)
- ^ published in 1955 – OCLC 36782653
- ^ Умер композитор Карен Хачатурян.
- ^ Распоряжение Президента Российской Федерации от 6 марта 2011 года № 128-рп «О поощрении» Archived 2013-05-07 at the Wayback Machine
External links
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- 1920 births
- 2011 deaths
- 20th-century Russian classical composers
- 20th-century Russian male musicians
- 21st-century classical composers
- 21st-century Russian male musicians
- Composers from Moscow
- Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
- Moscow Conservatory alumni
- Academic staff of Moscow Conservatory
- People's Artists of the RSFSR
- Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class
- Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia)
- Recipients of the USSR State Prize
- State Prize of the Russian Federation laureates
- Pupils of Nikolai Myaskovsky
- Russian people of Armenian descent
- Russian film score composers
- Russian male classical composers
- Russian male composers
- Russian music educators
- Soviet film score composers
- Soviet male classical composers
- Soviet male composers
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- Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery
- European composer stubs
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