Karen Khachaturian

Soviet-Armenian Classical Composer and Pianist

Karen Khachaturian (1920–2011) was a Soviet and Russian composer of the Armenian descent, nephew of Aram Khatchaturian (1903–1978) and cousin of conductor Emin Khachaturian (1930–2000), Professor at the Moscow Conservatory (since 1981). Note to Discogs submitters: for the composer of the Sabre Dance (from the ballet "Gayne"), please use Aram Khatchaturian. Karen was born in Moscow in the family of a theatrical director Suren Khachaturian and studied at the Moscow Conservatory with Dmitri Shostakovich, Nikolai Myaskovsky and Vissarion Shebalin. He wrote the Violin Sonata (1947), Cello Sonata (1966), String Quartet (1969), four symphonies composed from 1955 to 1991, a ballet Cipollino (1973) and various other symphonic works. David Oistrach, Jascha Heifetz, Mstislav Rostropovich, Vladimir Yampolsky and other prominent musicians had been performing and recording Khachaturian music. The composer received several awards and honorary titles, including People's Artist of the RSFSR (1981), The USSR State Prize (1976) and State Prize of the Russian Federation (2001). From the early fifties, Karen Khachaturian had been teaching at the Moscow Conservatory. Some of his notable students include Alexander Tchaikovsky, Alfred Schnittke, Sofia Gubaidulina, Kan-San-U, Victor Babushkin, and Valery Polyansky.