0
Gayane C'ebotaryan
Gayane C'ebotaryan
Armenian composer
1
Tikhon Khrennikov
Tikhon Khrennikov
Russian Soviet composer (1913-2007)
2
Tolib Shakhidi
Tolib Shakhidi
Soviet composer
3
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Ukrainian & Russian Soviet pianist and composer
4
David Oistrakh
David Oistrakh
Soviet violinist
5
Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Rostropovich
Russian cellist and conductor
6
Ghazaros Saryan
Ghazaros Saryan
Soviet composer
7
Nikolai Myaskovsky
Nikolai Myaskovsky
Russian composer
8
Mikhail Pletnev
Mikhail Pletnev
Russian pianist, conductor, and composer
9
Maximilian Steinberg
Maximilian Steinberg
Russian classical music composer (1883-1946)
10
Edison Denisov
Edison Denisov
Russian Soviet composer
11
Mikael Tariverdiev
Mikael Tariverdiev
Soviet composer
12
Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Russian conductor and composer
13
Mieczysław Weinberg
Mieczysław Weinberg
Polish Soviet composer
14
Dmitri Kabalevsky
Dmitri Kabalevsky
Russian composer
Intro
Armenian Soviet composer and conductor (1903-1978)
Awards Received
Stalin Prize
USSR State Prize
Order of Lenin
Hero of Socialist Labour
Order of the October Revolution
People's Artist of the USSR
Lenin Prize
Honored Art Worker of the Armenian SSR
People's Artist of the Armenian SSR
Medal "For the Defence of Moscow"
Medal "For the Defence of the Caucasus"
Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"
"Hammer and Sickle" gold medal
Order of Lenin
Order of Lenin
Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Stalin Prize
Stalin Prize
Stalin Prize
People's Artist of the RSFSR
People's Artist of the Armenian SSR
People's artist of the Georgian SSR
People's artist of the Azerbaijan SSR
Honored art worker of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres‎
Polish Cultural Merit Order
Member of, past and present
Union of Soviet Composers

Union of Soviet Composers

Academy of Arts of the GDR

Academy of Arts of the GDR

Soviet Peace Committee

Soviet Peace Committee

Aram Il'yich Khachaturian (/ˈærəm ˌkɑːtʃəˈtʊəriən/; Russian: Арам Ильич Хачатурян, IPA: [ɐˈram ɨˈlʲjitɕ xətɕɪtʊˈrʲan] (listen); Armenian: Արամ Խաչատրյան, romanized: Aram Xačʿatryan, IPA: [ɑˈɾɑm χɑtʃʰɑt(ə)ˈɾjɑn]; 6 June [O.S. 24 May] 1903 – 1 May 1978) was a Soviet Armenian composer and conductor. He is considered one of the leading Soviet composers.

Born and raised in Tbilisi, the multicultural capital of Georgia, Khachaturian moved to Moscow in 1921 following the Sovietization of the Caucasus. Without prior music training, he enrolled in the Gnessin Musical Institute, subsequently studying at the Moscow Conservatory in the class of Nikolai Myaskovsky, among others. His first major work, the Piano Concerto (1936), popularized his name within and outside the Soviet Union. It was followed by the Violin Concerto (1940) and the Cello Concerto (1946). His other significant compositions include the Masquerade Suite (1941), the Anthem of the Armenian SSR (1944), three symphonies (1935, 1943, 1947), and around 25 film scores. Khachaturian is best known for his ballet music—Gayane (1942) and Spartacus (1954). His most popular piece, the "Sabre Dance" from Gayane, has been used extensively in popular culture and has been covered by a number of musicians worldwide. His style is "characterized by colorful harmonies, captivating rhythms, virtuosity, improvisations, and sensuous melodies".

During most of his career, Khachaturian was approved by the Soviet government and held several high posts in the Union of Soviet Composers from the late 1930s, although he joined the Communist Party only in 1943. Along with Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitri Shostakovich, he was officially denounced as a "formalist" and his music dubbed "anti-people" in 1948 but was restored later that year. After 1950 he taught at the Gnessin Institute and the Moscow Conservatory and turned to conducting. He traveled to Europe, Latin America and the United States with concerts of his own works. In 1957 Khachaturian became the Secretary of the Union of Soviet Composers, a position he held until his death.

Khachaturian composed the first Armenian ballet music, symphony, concerto, and film score. He is considered the most renowned Armenian composer of the 20th century. While following the established musical traditions of Russia, he broadly used Armenian and, to lesser extent, Caucasian, Eastern and Central European, and Middle Eastern peoples' folk music in his works. He is highly regarded in Armenia, where he is considered a "national treasure".


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