Aram Khachaturian
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Aram Ilyich Khachaturian was a Soviet Armenian composer and conductor. He is considered one of the leading Soviet composers.
Khachaturian in 1971
The building at 93 Uznadze Street in Tbilisi, where Khachaturian lived between 1906 and 1922
Khachaturian in 1964
Khachaturian used the "raw material" made available by Komitas (pictured), who in the early 20th century collected thousands of pieces of Armenian folk music.
Music of the Soviet Union
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The music of the Soviet Union varied in many genres and epochs. The majority of it was considered to be part of the Russian culture, but other national cultures from the Republics of the Soviet Union made significant contributions as well. The Soviet state supported musical institutions, but also carried out content censorship. According to Vladimir Lenin, "Every artist, everyone who considers himself an artist, has the right to create freely according to his ideal, independently of everything. However, we are communists and we must not stand with folded hands and let chaos develop as it pleases. We must systemically guide this process and form its result."
Sergei Prokofiev, one of the major composers of the 20th century
Tikhon Khrennikov, head of Union of Soviet Composers 1948-1991
Dmitriy Shostakovich, leading composer of the Soviet era
Edison Denisov, experimental Soviet composer