NELLI AVETISIAN Doctor (PhD), Professor.
“Engagement in music, active involvement in it, will make a person, if not an excellent performer, then at least an excellent listener, which will open for him many sources of aesthetic pleasure, leads to the mastery of culture, to the multifaceted harmonious development of the man of the future…” – this statement can be perceived as a testament of the genius composer. Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (1903-1978) has long been a symbol of 20th century music, one of the innovators of world music culture. His contribution to the development of various trends, genres and means of artistic expression is undeniable, and his influence on the development of various schools of composition became evident in the following decades. In the XXI century Aram Khachaturian’s music has not lost its relevance, it is performed in many countries on the best stages of the world, by excellent performing forces, and is heard in cinema, audio and video recordings. In 2003 the world community widely celebrated the 100th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Celebrations were held in many countries: there were conferences and festivals of his music and new productions of his ballets. In the same year, with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Armenia and the “Aram Khachaturian – Competition” Cultural Foundation, the Aram Khachaturian International Competition for musicians – performers, conductors and composers was successfully launched in Yerevan, which is still held annually.
The great interest to the composer’s works has manifested itself in many ways: in 2006 Armenia participated in the international multimedia competition organised by the United Nations. 20000 projects were submitted from 156 countries participating in the contest. The winning Armenian project was the DVD “Aram Khachaturian. Life and Creation”, made by ITE (Information Technologies Education). The author and project manager is Garegin Chukaszyan. This award is considered to be an analogue of the Oscar in the field of information technologies. On the 110th anniversary of the composer, in 2013, UNESCO declared the year of A.I. Khachaturian, during which the International Scientific Conference “Aram Khachaturian and Modernity” was held with great success in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, in the Composer’s House-Museum, after which the Collection of scientific articles “Aram Khachaturian and the Modern World” was published. Many festivals, performances of his music and other various events took place in different countries.
After ten years, already in 2023 the 120th anniversary of the birth of the Great Maestro, who is recognised by the whole world as the composer who laid creative ties between the European musical culture and the East, between Armenia and the world art, who raised the Armenian music to unprecedented heights, who laid the foundation of the Armenian national symphonism, the development of which placed Armenian music in the context of the world music, was widely celebrated. His three Symphonies, Concertos for Violin, Piano, Cello and Orchestra, Rhapsody Concertos for the same instruments, instrumental pieces and other chamber works, theatre and film music, ballets “Happiness”, “Gayane”, “Spartacus”, Cantatas, Oratorios and many other compositions became stages in the development of world music culture. He is the author of the music of the State Anthem of the Armenian SSR, which represented the country all over the world and was played from 1944 to 1991.
The genius composer of the 20th century Dmitry Shostakovich wrote about Aram Khachaturian: “If there were no Khachaturian’s music, I would probably write differently… Yes, Aram Khachaturian’s contribution to the music of our days is great… His name has won wide recognition both in our country and abroad, he has dozens of pupils and followers developing the principles to which he always remains faithful”. The eminent Indian musician Narayana Menon wrote: “For young Asian musicians striving to write music using European musical means, Aram Khachaturian’s work and achievements are like the light of a beacon”. Through his pupil Nabuo Terahara, who worshipped his teacher, a whole direction of the Khachaturian tradition was formed in Japan and further developed through Terahara’s pupil K. Nakajima. The countries of Latin America, where the composer toured in the 60s of the last century, also recognised his work, placing it alongside the national coryphees.
The influence of Aram Khachaturian’s composer’s thinking on musicians of many countries was manifested everywhere: the beauty and emotionality of his music, his brilliant mastery of the whole arsenal of kecgompo-zitorial technique, the multiplicity and colouristic richness of his harmonic thinking, the brightness of sound, theatricality, give his works uniqueness and the brilliance of novelty. The composer used not only Armenian folklore but also musical folklore sources of different nations in his works. He believed that the use of folk music is very important, so composer’s skill is necessary, the ability to “not spoil” the folklore material, to develop it carefully, to symphonise it, to give a new scope to the sound. This principle manifested itself in his entire oeuvre. He was a humanist composer for whom the state of soul of different peoples expressed through music was important. This world-perception and world-view was magnificently manifested in his music written for theatre productions, cinema and ballets. The breadth of perception of the world, the scope of creative innovations, the careful attitude to the creativity of different nations are connected with the formation of Aram Khachaturian’s personality and his biography.
He was born on 6 June 1903 in Tbilisi (old name Tiflis), the capital of Georgia, at the crossroads of many world cultures, in a musical city where music – Georgian, Armenian and other peoples living there – was constantly heard. Naturally, the auditory impressions of his childhood and youth formed the basis of the composer’s musical essence. A turning point in his destiny was his move to Moscow (1921) to receive professional education. At first he entered the Moscow University, where he studied for a short time. However, an irresistible craving for music led him to the Gnesin Music School (1922). Gnesin Music School (1922), where he was admitted first to the faculty of cello, then composition. It was from here that the path of the great composer’s rise to fame began. Aram Ilyich wrote of himself: “Could I have dreamed, the son of a simple bookbinder, that I would become a student at the renowned Moscow Conservatoire, a pupil of the composer and teacher Nikolai Myaskovsky, that my first works would be performed by the world’s greatest musicians?”. Indeed, his first works, the pieces for violin and piano “Dance” (1926) and “Song-Poem” (In Honour of Ashugs, 1929), immediately became repertoire pieces and were performed by the world’s greatest musicians.
Thanks to the artistic style, temperament and extraordinary power of influence of his music, a visual sense of theatrical action is created. The theatricality of the composer’s music is due to his love of the theatre and cinema, communication with famous directors and theatrical figures. Listening to the talented works of the young composer, it is not surprising that his work was noted and highly appreciated by outstanding film and theatre directors. The young composer had just graduated from the Gnesin School and was about to enter the theatre. The young composer had just graduated from the Gnesin School and was about to enter the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatoire. Tchaikovsky, was invited by the famous director Ruben Simonov to write music for a number of productions that he staged at the Armenian Theatre Workshop at the Armenian House of Culture in Moscow. Among them, Hakob Paronyan’s “Oriental Dentist” and Gabriel Sundukyan’s “Khatabala”. Aram Khachaturian took great interest and love to the set creative tasks and wrote interesting and talented music for these performances. He constantly worked with Moscow theatres and outstanding directors, and in 1941, at the invitation of director Ruben Simonov, he wrote wonderful music for the play based on M. Lermontov’s drama “Masquerade” staged at the famous Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow. Vakhtangov theatre in Moscow. The music written for this production was widely recognised, and the “Waltz” is still heard on the air and in various stage incarnations. While studying at the Moscow Conservatory, he became interested in the famous film director Amo Bek-Nazarov, who in 1934 offered him to write the music for the film “Pepo”, which became a world masterpiece, and four years later in 1938 Aram Khachaturian wrote the music for Bek-Nazarov’s next film “Zangezur”.
With the outstanding Soviet director Mikhail Romm, Aram Khachaturian worked on five films. In 1948, director Vladimir Petrov invited Aram Khachaturian to work on the film “The Battle of Stalingrad”. This work, according to the music composer, gave him great pleasure and, as the composer said about himself, he “falls in love with the theatre and the theatre falls in love with him”. He is constantly working with Moscow theatres and famous directors. The experience already accumulated in composing music for dramatic performances opened for him the opportunity to turn to the genres of musical theatre. In Aram Khachaturian’s creative work, a great role was played by three ballets, which were written in different years: “Happiness” (1939), “Gayane” (1942), “Spartacus” (1954). Two ballets, “Gayane” and “Spartacus” were performed on the stages of the best theatres of the world. The musical dramaturgy of “Gayane” ballet was connected with different librettos on which the performances were staged. The contemporary theme and different peripetias of the plot development brought to life the dance numbers based on the national melodies of different nations. Adagio of Gayane and her lover Armen, Ayshe’s dance embodying the image of the Kurdish girl Ayshe, Ukrainian Go-pak, Russian dance, Georgian Lezginka, Lekuri, Armenian dance Shalaho, Uzun-dara and others.
The theme of Friendship of Peoples is vividly manifested in the final divertissement, in the scene of the wedding of loving couples. A special place in this ballet is occupied by the famous Dance with Sabres, based on an incendiary rhythm, with a spectacular melody. This dance is often performed as a separate concert number, and is also widely used in combination with other art forms. The ballet Spartacus is based on the story of the slave revolt in ancient Rome and their leader Spartacus, who died for the happiness of the people. A timeless and extra-national tragedy of an individual who defied his oppressors. In the musical framework of the dramaturgical process of this plot, Aram Khachaturian included several numbers embodying the images of different nationalities. Notable among them are the Dance of the Gaditan maidens from the city of Gades, the Dance of the Greek Slave, the Adagio and Dance of the Egyptian Dancer and others. The richness of melody, rhythm, harmonisation and the colourful sound of the symphony orchestra brought to life a variety of plasticity that enriched the choreographic productions. On the basis of the music of these ballets the composer created beautiful Suites, which are performed in concert by symphony orchestras. In addition, various arrangements, fantasies, arrangements, improvisations and paraphrases have been created to the music of Aram Khachaturian, enriching the performing repertoire based on the perception of his vast creative heritage.
The composer attached great importance to touring to different countries where his music was performed, performed on radio and television, and communicated with prominent personalities who highly appreciated his work. Among them are Pope John XXIII, Queen Elizabeth II of Belgium, Prince Rainier of Monaco, Ernest Hemingway, Dmitry Shostakovich, Sergei Prokofiev, Charlie Chaplin, Igor Stravinsky, Pablo Picasso, presidents, leaders of various countries and many other celebrities. He has many State Titles and awards – Orders and Medals of different countries. His creative work was under close attention of researchers, famous composers, musicologists and performers, among them not only D. Shostakovich, B. Asafiev, G. Tigranov, G. Khubov, D. Arutyunov, V. Yuzefovich, G. Shneerson, but also many other authors of books, articles, collections and films. Notographic reference books, notes, claviers and scores of Khachaturian’s works, as well as Collections of his articles and speeches, Letters in Russian, Armenian and English have been published. A figure of world scale, he always attracts the attention of performers and researchers. Aram Ilyich Khachaturian’s creativity and personality are perceived as an open book with many mysteries and discoveries.
