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About
Karen Surenovich Khachaturian was a Soviet and Russian composer of Armenian ethnicity and the nephew of composer Aram Khachaturian.
Khachaturian was born in Moscow, the son of Suren Khachaturian, a theatrical director. His studies under Genrikh Litinsky at the Moscow Conservatory were interrupted by a term of duty in the entertainment division of the Red Army. Resuming his studies in 1945, he worked with Dmitri Shostakovich and Nikolai Myaskovsky.
In addition to a Violin Sonata (1947), his works include a Cello Sonata (1966), a String Quartet (1969), four symphonies (1955, 1968, 1982, 1991) and a ballet, Cipollino (1973), as well as various other orchestral works and music for the theater and films.
Rhythmic drive and careful and idiomatic use of his instrumental forces characterize his compositions. He adopted a primarily tonal approach to composition. His works have been recorded by artists including David Oistrakh, Jascha Heifetz, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Vladimir Yampolsky. A recording of the opening of his first symphony was played in a lecture-demonstration given at the University of Warwick during the first academic year in which it had undergraduates (1965–1966), by Geoffrey Bush.