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The Violin Concerto
I
wrote
the
music
as
though
on
a
wave
of
happiness,
my
whole
being
in
a
state
of
joy
.
..and
this
winged
feeling,
this
love
of
life
was
transmitted
to
the
music.
ARAM KHACHATURYAN
Khachaturyan’s Violin Concerto was preceded by his Poem to
Stalin. The idea for the poem goes back to 1936 when he, like
other Soviet composers, was preparing for the twentieth an-
niversary of the October Revolution. At the end of 1936 Khach-
aturyan wrote,
I'am planning some new compositions. Possibly, first, a chorus,
with soloists and orchestra, on the text of a letter to Stalin by
Turkmen collective farmers. It is a wonderful letter in verse.
This letter contains wonderfully descriptive comparisons. This
should be a big symphonic ode. Second—I bave alreafiy con-
tracted with the Azerbaijans for a symphonic composition on
themes of their choice. Third—A ballet for the Armenians, F)Elsed
on a subject by Ovanes Tumanyan. Of course, it will be difficult
to write all three in one year, but I think I could manage two.
What
Khachaturyan
says
is
interesting becau.se
it
demon-
Strates that he did not restrict
himself
to
Armenian
art
alomz
t
this
time he
was
already
arranging Tadjik
folk
songs
"‘“l
had written (hree
Tadjik songs
to
words
by
Lakhuti,
rightly
lieved
1o
be
among
his
best,
He
was even toying with the ideaof
going
(o
work
in
Tadjikistan
as his
fellow
Conservatory St
Nt Sergei
Balasanyan had done.
i . 3 1 ose
His plans also show how creatively active he was 1n th
109

110
o
years,
even
though
he
did
not
do
all
he
had
planned.
They
415
§l]()\\'
how
long
the
idea
of
his
Poem
to
Stalin
took
to
mature
l:15
usually
associated
with
his
“Song
of
Stalin,”
written
in
I{j?,7
to
words
by
the
Azerbaijanian
poet
Mirza
Bairamoy.
Khacha-
turyan wrote
in
1937,
“I
am
considering
writing
a
symphonic
poem,
with
chorus
at
the
end,
for
the
twentieth
anniversary,
a
Poem
to
Stalin.
1
am
excited
as
I
gather
the
material,
but
|
don’t
know
how
it
will
turn
out.”
And
here
is
what
he
said
after
completing
the
score:
I
had been thinking
about
this
Poem
for
some
time, but
I
was
not
sure
what form
to
use.
Then
I
saw
the
words
of
Mirza
the
ashug’s
wonderful
song
and
my
idea
immediately
crystallized:
The
Poem
must
be
a
symphonic
work
ending
with
a
song-apoth-
eosis
on
these
wonderful
words.
I
wanted
the
symphonic
part
of the
Poem
to
be
more
of
an
emotional
than
a
thematic
intro-
duction
to
the
concluding
chorus.
The
chorus should
be
the
culmination
of
the
Poem.
The
thematic
links,
however,
are
clear:
All
the
symphonic
themes
emerge
from
the
melody
of
the
song.
It took Khachaturyanjust forty days to compose the Poem,
and it was first performed on November 29, 1938, during the
ten-day festival of Soviet Music, by the State Symphony Or-
chestra conducted by Alexander Gauk and the State Chorus
under Nikolai Danilin.
Khachaturyan’s Poem must justly be classed among the best
of the many art works glorifying Stalin in the 1930s. Critics
stressed that its ideological impact lay in the glorification of the
Motherland and the new, happy life of the working people.
Georgi Huboy called it a “symphonic ode to the joys of labor.”
Yuri Shaporin noted the simple and clear musical style, the
spare means of expression, the warmth and emotional fullness
of Khachaturyan’s familiar Azerbaijanian-Iranian melodic style,
while Reinhold Gliere considered the Poem almost a symphony.
“Apart from the indisputable qualities of the musical mf\terlal
so replete with the intonations of folk music,” he wrote, “Khach-
aturyan’s symphony is delightful in its accomplished arrange-
ment, symphonic unity, and monumental stature.”

111
Khachaturyan’s Poem
was
undoubtedly
a
success
as
a
natural
plend
of
folk
idioms and
his
own
voice. His
experience
with
the
poem
helped
K.hachat.uryan
.wlllcn
he
began
to
write
an
anthem
for
the
Armenian
S.()\’l‘t‘l
Socialist
Republic.
When
it
was
finished
in
May
1944,
he
ln\'ll.ed
several intellectuals
to
his
Moscow
apartment
and
played
it
for
thcm:
It
had
not
yet
been
officially
sanctioned,
because
the
contest
for an
anthem
was
still
open
and
many
Armenian
e}ltries
were
still
to
be
heard.
Khachatur-
yan
played
it
several times,
then
the
guests
hummed
it.
Soon
after
came
the
announcement
that
it
had won.
It
is
still
heard
daily
on the
radio.
The
composer
started
work
on
his
Violin
Concerto
after
the
Poem
to
Stalin
and
the ballet
Happiness.
David
Oistrakh,
who
was
the
first to
play
the
Concerto,
wrote,
I
am
proud,
as
are
all
other
violinists, that
Khachaturyan’s
first
composition,
his
Dance
in
B-flat
Major,
was
written
for
the violin,
an
instrument
for
which
this
talented
composer
has
the
feelings
of
a
true
virtuoso
and inspired
artist.
His
first
work, dated
1926,reveals
many
of
the
young
author’s
attractive
traits,
which were
later
developed
in
other
compositions,
for
example,
in
his
ViolinConcerto, one
of
his
finest
instrumental
works.
~
Three
years after the
Dance,
Khachaturyan produced
his
inspired
song-poem
for violin
and
piano,
“In
Honor
of theAshugs
”
Though
these
were
not
yet
fully
complete
pieces
(the
Dance
for
all jts
national characteristics was
faintly
reminiscent
%
W.ieniawski), their
spontaneity
and
warm
sincerity
were
cap-
bating.
You
will
not find
in
them
the
passion and ardor
of
the
0lfano
Toccata,
but they
complemented
each other and were
foten
Played.
Written
for
Avet Gabrielyan,
their
first
per-
au:me
',
they
were
Jater
performed
by
David Oistrakh. Khacl{-Therya~n Yecalls that
it
was Oistrakh who made them
p_()plflal.
Violinist
continued playing them even
after the Violin
Con-Was
completed.
ha]fien after I had conducted the Violin Concerto, and one w{ould
¥ thought there had been enough violin playing, the audience

113
to
his
country
home.
I
played
it
for
him,
trying
for
g
of
synthesis—I
would
play
the
harmony
with
my
l(‘-;‘:nlm'.degree
the
violin
part
with
my
right,
singing
some
of
the
('anlilhn'l(l f’"d
and
the violin
melody
with
the
entire
ncmmp;minkm
e()n‘(l
PldrlS
carefully
followed
the
score.
He
liked
the
Concerto
z;ndls":ld:
me
to
leave
it
with
him.
We
agreed
to
meet
again
in
a
fewaja;:
“I cherish the days of my work with Aram 11
Oistrakh.
ych,”
wrote
I
wil]_m;ver forget
them.
l
came
to
know
him
quite
well
while
the
Violin
Concerto
was
being
written.
I
remember
that
summer
day
in
1940
when
he
first
played
the
Violin
Concerto, which
he
had
just
finished.
He
was
so
totally
immersed
in
it
that he
went
immediately
to
the
piano.
The
stirring
rhythms,
characteristic
turns
of
national
folklore,
and
sweeping
melodic themes
capti-
vated
me
at
once.
He played
with
tremendous
enthusiasm.
One
could
still
feel
in
his
playing
that
artistic
fire
with
which
he
had
created
the
music.
Sincere and
original, replete
with
melodicbeauty and
folk
colors,
it
seemed
to
sparkle.
All
these
traits
which
the
public
still
enjoys
in
the
Concerto
made
an
unforgettable impression
at
the
time.
It
was
clear
that
a
vivid
composition
had been
born, destined
to
live
long
on
the
concert
stage.
And
my
violin
was
to
launch
it
on
its
career.
I
still
remember
the
enthusiasm
with
which
I
worked
on
that
composition,”
Khachaturyan
recalled.
In
about two
or
three days,
Oistrakh
came
to
Staraya Ruza
to
play the
Concerto, My
little
cottage
was
full
of
people.
It
was
summer
and
the
door
to
the
porch
was
open.
Many
friends
were
there—composers
and musicians.
All
those present,
|‘nyselt
in-
cluded,
were astonished
by
Oistrakh’s
enchanting
|)(’]‘.f(.)l’nlfll1(.‘t‘i
He played
the
Concerto
as
though
he
had been
|)ruclu'mg.,r
it
‘h).ll
months,
just
as
he
was
to
play
it
subsequently
on the
concer
Stage.
¢
of the
Concerto
Present
at
that first
intimate performanc
. )
j
balevsky, Nikolai
Were composers Yuri Shaporin, Dmitri Ka

114
Rakov,
Nikolai
Chemberdji, Vano
Muradeli,
Nina
Makaroyg,
and
Zara Levina.
“Khachaturyan
invited
us
to
his
cottage
¢,
hear
a
new
and absolutely
fresh
composition,”
recalls
DmitrKabalevski.
Oistrakh even apologized because he hadn’t had enough time
to really prepare the Concerto. He need not have, for he played
brilliantly, with inspiration, Khachaturyan’s new creation capti-
vated us by its originality, freshness, impetuous onward move-
ment, and bold contrasts of unrestrained joy, gentle lyricism,
and tense drama. Everyone was greatly impressed by the Con-
certo. We all stayed on for some time, asking for one or other
episode to be repeated. I don’t know about the others, but I
found it difficult to work for several days after, I just couldn’t
forget the vivid images in Khachaturyan’s music.
Like the Piano Concerto, the Violin Concerto was per-
formed during a ten-day festival of Soviet music regularly held
before the war. “We rehearsed a lot and at length,” Oistrakh
was to write later. “Alexander Gauk, the conductor, took great
pains. If I am not mistaken, we had ten orchestra rehearsals.
Aram Ilych would make certain changes in the solo score and
the orchestration. He was both exacting and quite specific in
his requests, he knew exactly what he wanted, knew how best
to express a musical thought.”
David Oistrakh was being modest. Let’s see what Khacha-
turyan had to say about those rehearsals.
We made many corrections in details and nuances during the
rehearsals . . . in one place we even added a mute; everything
was decided on the spot on Oistrakh’s suggestion. Oistrakh often
came to my home before the Concerto was published and we
would carefully go through the violin score, noting many details;
many pages of the score still contain his interesting suggestions.
“Working with him was easy and a real pleasure,” wrote
Oistrakh, “It was simple to find the key to performing the
Concerto. The author had a perfectly clear idea of the per-

115
forming
plan.
However,
he
did
not restrict
the
performer,
al-
Jowing
him
ample
creative
imagination
and
willingly
adopted
suggestions
from
the
musicim}s
during work
on
the
Concerto.”
The
Violin
Concerto
was
first
performed
on
November
16,
1940,
at
the
opening
of
the festival
and
repeated
the
next
day.
The
USSR
State
Symphony
Orchestra
conducted
by
Alexander
Gauk
also
played
Myaskovsky’s
Twenty-first
Symphony
and
parts
of
Shaporin’s opera
The
Decembrists
for
the
first
time.
So,
as
with
the
first
performance
of
his
Piano
Concerto,
Khacha-
turyan’s
new
work
was
heard
together
with
other
works
des-
tined
to
become
classics
of
Soviet
music
written
in
the
1930s
and 1940s.
Of
all
the “firsts”
performed
three years
earlier
the
critics
had
been
most
enthusiastic
about
Myaskovsky’s
Eigh-
teenth
Symphony,
Shostakovich’s
Fifth,
and
Khachaturyan’s
Piano
Concerto.
Now
again,
it
was
Myaskovsky’s
Twenty-first
Symphony,
Shostakovich’s
Piano Quintet, and
Khachaturyan’s
Violin
Concerto.
“These
three
compositions,
so
different
in
style,
personality
of
the
composer,
and
degree
of
maturity,”
wrote
the
magazine
Soviet
Music,
“may
rightly
be
classed with
the
best of
recent Soviet
music.”
Any
composer
would
envy
the
great
number
of
famous
per-
sons
present
at
the
first
performance
of
the
Violin
Concerto:
Nikolai
Myaskovsky,
Sergei
Prokofiev, Dmitri
Shostakovich,
Yuri
Shaporin, Dmitri Kabalevsky.
The
list
of
violinists
was
no
less
impressive.
“I
came
face
to
face
with
Khachaturyan’s
music
for
the
first
time,”
wrote
Leonid
Kogan many
years
later.
“For
us
young
violinists
it
was
a
revelation,
a
new page
in
violin
music,
I
remember
that the
Concerto seemed
to
us
to
be ex-
trerf}ely
difficult,
almost impossible
to
perform.”
I
was
overjoyed
at
the
success
of the
Concerto,” Khacha-
f“r)’al‘fl
wrote about
that
night,
On
December
24,
1940,
Oistrakh
:L‘:n(lf;_l;)l}l.p.erfqrmed the
Concerto
in
Leningrad,
then
in
Er-
i’
er,e “Il
151,
Kiey,
and Odessa', receiving rave reviews every-and fr'omref)elved
many
letters
from
pe‘(‘)ple
in
the Soviet
Union
s
afroaq, Oistrakh
re.cnlle(l,
all o!’
them expressing
o
n
for
this talented Soviet composer. Alexander Gauk,
pertoire included almost
all
the latest Soviet
compo-