Search - Aram Khachaturian, Philharmonia Orchestra, David Oistrakh :: Composers in Person: Aram Khachaturian Conducts Masquerade / Gayaneh / Violin Concerto

Khachaturian by Khachaturian

Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 12/20/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Born in Georgia of Armenian heritage, Khachaturian's folk tinged melodies made his music enormously popular in the USSR, and around the world...and this CD contains 3 of his most beautiful compositions, conducted by the master himself.I've always loved the Masquerade Suite, with its sumptuous Waltz, and heavenly Nocturne.
The Gayaneh Orchestral Suite is probably the most familiar of all his music...track # 8, "Ayesha's Awakening and Dance", and track # 12, "Lyrical Duet", are so lovely...and then there's track # 14, the most often played/recorded piece of his (and my least favorite !), the famous "Sabre Dance", here taken at a dazzling breakneck speed. The meat of this CD however is the fabulous violin concerto. It was created for David Oistrakh, and he plays it like a god. For my taste, he's the all time greatest violinist, playing with so much soul, incredible tone, and amazing technique. For this concerto, he wrote his own cadenza, and it's exquisite.Though recorded in '55, and in mono, the sound on this CD is surprisingly good. It's 78:31 minutes long, and the booklet has some very interesting info and photos...especially the one of Khachaturian and his wife, pianist/composer Nina Makarova, both at the piano, in 1943."

Khachaturian by Khachaturian and Oistrakh in 1954

Discophage | France | 07/19/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Any recording by David Oistrakh of Khachaturian's Violin Concerto will have special authority, as the violinist from Odessa was the work's dedicatee and first performer in 1940. Oistrakh left three studio recordings: the first with Alexander Gauk and the USSR State Symphony Orchestra in 1946 (I have it on LP only, but it has been reissued on CD by Pearl, Khachaturian: Concerto for violin in Dm; Myaskovsky: Concerto for violin in Dm), this one with the London Philharmonia under the conductor, made for HMV in 1954, and a 1965 stereo recording with again the composer leading the USSR Radio & TV Orchestra, which I have on a French Chant du Monde CD release, volume 3 of the David Oistrakh edition they released in the late 1980s, not listed on this site; but for those interested, the same recording can be found on various other reissues: on Khachaturian: Concerto for violin in Dm; Concerto for piano in Df paired with the Piano Concerto, in another composer-conducted performance with Nicolai Petrov, on Khatchaturian: Symphony No.1, Violin Con, a 2-CD set from Melodiya with various composer-conducted Khachaturian compositions, on a Mobile Fidelity CD with Sibelius' Violin Concerto (Rojdestvensky conducting), which, despite the horrendously incomplete product description, I assume is listed as Khachaturian/Viol, and on a a 2-CD set from Vox with the same Sibelius, plus Franck and Shostakovich's Violin Sonatas played by Oistrakh and Richter (Sibelius: Concerto Op47; Franck: Sonata for violin in A). There is also a live performance of hair-raising urgency with Kubelik conducting the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra on May 15, 1947, but which comes, alas, in dismal sound. I have it on its first CD release by Multisonic (Concertos - Liszt/Prokofiev/Khachaturian).



The urgency is still there in 1954 with Khachaturian conducting. More even than in their stereo remake, Oistrakh and Khachaturian play the outer movements with dazzling dynamism and forward momentum, comparable to Kogan and Monteux (Khachaturian: Concerto for violin in Dm; Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78). Not that they plod in 1965, but there is more power and less urgency, and Oistrakh is less openly virtuosic but perhaps more magisterially aristocratic. One special feature of Oistrakh's approach (from 1947 to 1965) is also his refusal to "milk it" in the more lyrical moments. He's obviously understood a lesson neglected by many musicians these days: that conveying the lyricism doesn't require slowing down the tempo and mawkishly fussing over the phrases; on the contrary, it is all the more searing as the tempo is kept forward-moving. As in 1947 and 1965, Oistrakh plays not the published cadenza but his own (I don't know what he did back in 1946, I haven't gone back to the LP to check), and practices a minor cut in the finale (so does Kogan). Oistrakh attains great despaired vehemence in the second movement, if not conjring the hauntingly brooding and longing atmosphere of the 1965 version.



One advantage of the 1965 recording is of course the better and more spacious sound (on the Chant du Monde CD there is some saturation in the tuttis though), affording more orchestral details, and in particular unveiling the wonderful, sibelian atmosphere in passages of the finale. The 1954 sonics are somewhat frustrating in this respect, but they afford at least a good definition of the soloist.



This 1954 version is now more easily available on an EMI "Great Recordings of the Century" CD (Khachaturian: Violin Concerto/Taneyev: Suite de Concert - David Oistrakh, Aram Khachaturian, Philharmonia Orchestra), but I find this previous CD reissue on the "Composers in Person" series preferable, as it avoids the duplication of Taneyev's Suite de Concert which I have on the "Les Introuvables de David Oistrakh" set (Les Introuvables De David), and it offers the highly coherent coupling of the Suites from the ballets Masquerade (in fact the three most famous pieces, including the haunting Waltz) and Gayaneh, recorded by the same Philharmonia under the composer at the same time as the Violin Concerto. I have a soft tooth for Khachaturian's warhorses. The music strives so hard for effect and the easy clap, I should hate it, or at least feel only indifference to it, if not downright contempt. But no, it grabs me as unfailingly as the music of Doctor Zhivago. He may have striven for effect and easy clap, but Khachaturian sure knew how to write a tune.



The fine liner notes by composer Dmitri Smirnov and the fascinating collection of Khachaturian photos are more assets of this release.

"

Excellent and Worth Every Penny!!

Louie Bourland | Garden Grove CA | 03/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an excellent CD of historic recordings from composer Aram Khachaturian. Even more importantly, we get to hear the composer conducting his own works on this disc.

While the recordings date from 1954 and are recorded in mono, the sound quality as well as the performances themselves are flawless.

The centerpiece of the entire disc is undoubtedly the Violin Concerto which is delivered with stellar delivery from Khachaturian's baton and violinist David Oistrakh which whom the work was composed for and dedicated to. The Khachaturian/Oistrakh combination proves to be a matching pair as evidenced by this recording in very much the same way Elgar and Menuhin were in the 1932 recording of the Elgar Violin Concerto. Definitely a cherished performance.

Bookending the Concerto are suites from two of Khachaturian's most famous ballet's "Masquerade" and "Gayaneh" respectively. The "Masquerade" suite is performed in a brisk fashion and is full of joyfulness. Likewise for the "Gayaneh" suite which is topped off by a rapid-fire rendition of the composer's signature piece, the "Sabre Dance".

While this CD is out of print, it is still worth getting a hold of especially if you want to hear Khachaturian conducting his own work. I also recommend the CD from Decca/London which features the 1962 recording of the composer conducting his Second Symphony coupled with another "Gayaneh" suite.

Definitive Khachaturian!!!"