# SS 02.06.18 - Khachaturian #1



## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

A continuation of the Saturday Symphonies Tradition:

Welcome to another weekend of symphonic listening! 
_*
*_For your listening pleasure this weekend:*

Aram Khachaturian (1903 - 1978)*

Symphony No. 1 in E minor

1. Andante maestoso con passione - Allegro ma non troppo
2. Adagio sostenuto
3. Allegro risoluto

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Post what recording you are going to listen to giving details of Orchestra / Conductor / Chorus / Soloists etc - Enjoy!


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## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

Another weekend is here and another symphony is up for your listening pleasure. This week it's Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian's first symphony. I'm not overly familiar with this one so I'm looking forward to giving it a listen.

There aren't a lot of recordings out there so I will post a YouTube link for those without a recording which will also be the recording I will be listening to:




Loris Tjeknavorian/Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

I shall listen to the same version via Spotify


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## D Smith (Sep 13, 2014)

i'll listen to the link RDB provided as I can't find any other options.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

This one from YouTube.


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## cougarjuno (Jul 1, 2012)

Have this one


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## Biwa (Aug 3, 2015)

I'll go for this 1975 live recording by the composer.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

I will listening this one later;

Aram Khachaturian - Symphony No.1 in E minor Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra Conducted by Loris Tjeknavorian


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## Mika (Jul 24, 2009)

Biwa said:


> View attachment 104368
> 
> 
> I'll go for this 1975 live recording by the composer.


I will listen this one also


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## Weird Heather (Aug 24, 2016)

This one wasn't in my collection. I listened to the YouTube link in the original post for now. I have other music by Khachaturian - primarily concertos and ballet music. Over the years, I have found that his music is never, ever boring. It is full of surprises, and there is always something new, even in music that I have heard many times. This symphony doesn't disappoint. I am, however, a bit disappointed that there aren't a lot of recordings out there, and I wasn't immediately able to find a download that I could buy. (Due to limited space and expensive real estate where I live, I'm reluctant to buy physical CDs when I can store a massive collection on a hard drive that is the size of a 2-CD jewel box.) I'll look around for a download, but this one might be worth buying a physical CD.


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

Well, just listened to this work for the first time.
Interesting and enjoyable. For some reason I know not why, I always thought Khachaturian was very modern and unapproachable. Well I was wrong, and this proves it. I particularly liked the quiet slow movement.
This is why I so enjoy the SS thread


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Agreed, it would be nice to hear more digital performances of this pleasant symphony. I also feel the same way about Gliere's first two symphonies. Just not enough recordings to get our teeth into.


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## Biwa (Aug 3, 2015)

For anyone who plays vinyl, there is another excellent recording on the 1979 RCA LP with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Loris Tjeknavorian. I don't think it's ever been released on CD, which is a pity.









Giving it a spin now. :tiphat:


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

I listened to one of several YouTube videos of this music played by the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Loris Tjeknavorian. This one is a video of a live concert.






The first movement is nice but maybe a bit diffuse - needs another listen to sort it out, I think. The following adagio is very attractive with a lot of good exotic-sounding tunes and gorgeous orchestration. The third and last movement seems a kind of oversized scherzo. The central section is rather quiet, but the outer sections are intensely energetic and quite noisy (in a good way). Shostakovich probably had this music in the back of his mind when he wrote the closing movements of his 6th Symphony just five years later.

All in all, a very good find and much to my taste.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

I concur with many of the statements from the members. Khachaturian's 1st is a rather good first symphony by anyone. I like so much its beginning, which is somewhat melancholic, pensive. The overall ideas and themes are not less than interesting.


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

Merl said:


> This one from YouTube.
> 
> View attachment 104365


That's nice, but it's a different Khachaturian and therefore a completely different symphony.

Aram Khachaturian's 1st symphony is a really remarkable work and it never ceases to amaze me that it is so little known. I fear that people see Khachaturian as the writer of the Sabre Dance, that nice tune from Spartacus, a couple of concertos and that awful noisy symphony with all the trumpets and the organ. Well, yes; but he wrote some really excellent music that shouldn't be overlooked and this symphony is an example of Khachaturian at his best (along with the 2nd symphony).
I have the same vinyl LP recording as 'Biwa' that I bought in a second-hand store many years ago; it's still Tjeknavorian, but it's the LSO and a very good performance - superior I think to the Armenian recording on ASV.


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## kyjo (Jan 1, 2018)

Just listened to it last night - a very nice (if rather diffuse) work with some unexpected and colorful touches, especially in the first movement. It’s a real shame that there’s only one available recording of it - the Armenian PO under Tjeknavorian, which is rather subpar with messy ensemble and intonation. And Tjeknavorian’s recording with the LSO doesn’t seem to be available on YouTube. Well, both Naxos and CPO recently recorded the 2nd Symphony, so maybe they’ll get around to the 1st next?


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

There was at least one other recording available - this rather ancient mono recording on MK, which I also have in my collection (though the photo is taken from online images). Predictably, it's rough-sounding - I think it was recorded in the early '60s - but it was my entry point to this symphony as someone gave me the record when I was a teenager.


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

I just found this other recording on Youtube which I don't identify as either of the Tjeknavorian recordings, nor his live video performance (also on Youtube). It sounds quite good, but has no info, so maybe someone can identify it?
It's in 3 parts; this being the 1st movement.






By the way, certainly the 1st movement of the old Alexander Gauk recording is also available on Youtube in a remastered edition; mind you given ehtta this is 'all new digitally remastered', if you listen to it you can imagine just how awful the original non-remastered version is!


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

I must admit I enjoyed this one, much against my expectations! It's very obvious who it's by, full of his little personal touches, and holds together well.
I reckon Khachaturian steadily got worse as a symphonist! Debatably the same goes for Rachmaninov, But with him the dip in form from 1 to 3 is far far less drastic. The Khachaturian 3rd, the coupling on my CD of No.1 is pretty sure, about as pompous and over-inflated a piece as I have heard!!!


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

> The Khachaturian 3rd, the coupling on my CD of No.1 is pretty sure, about as pompous and over-inflated a piece as I have heard!!!


I'm guessing you have the Tjeknavorian / Armenian PO recording on ASV which, to be honest, is a pretty dreadful recording of the 3rd. It's quite a good 1st though.


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Correct CD, but I am not sure if anyone else could make a better case out for No.3!?!


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

This is the recording to have of the No. 3:










I don't dislike this work. I am tolerant to most of bombastic works, and this one is not an exception.


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

Robert Pickett said:


> Correct CD, but I am not sure if anyone else could make a better case out for No.3!?!


Oh they absolutely can - the one in the post above, and the older Kondrashin recording on Melodiya are better by far.


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