Aram Khachaturian was 19 years old when he decided to learn the "big fiddle" (cello) and 21 when he began his first composition lessons with Mikhail Gnessin.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Khachaturian's fascination with dance began in his childhood, using copper kettles for rhythmic studies, and this interest later influenced his compositions.
Composer Biography
Aram Khachaturian's family included several notable artists: his uncle Suren Ilyich was an actor who studied with Konstantin Stanislavsky, and his cousin Karen Surenovich Khachaturian was a well-known composer.
Performer Biography
The Robert-Schumann-Philharmonie, founded in 1833, is one of Germany's most traditional orchestras and has hosted guest conductors like Richard Strauss, Otto Klemperer, and Arnold Schönberg.
Compositional Technique
The Dance Suite marked Khachaturian's first use of a full Romantic orchestra, including piccolo, English horn, bass clarinet, four horns, three trumpets and trombones, tuba, timpani, harp, strings, and various percussion.
Composition History
Khachaturian's Dance Suite and First Symphony were his first major works, allowing him to apply what he learned from his instrumentation teachers Reinhold Glière and Sergei Vasilenko.
Composer Biography
Khachaturian's early musical experiences included playing the tenor horn in a commercial school wind ensemble and being inspired to compose his own waltz after a comrade did so.
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