Aram Khachaturyan and the Composers of the “Armenian Five”

It does not matter how I combine different music languages… Together with other Armenian composers, we shall make the whole Europe and the whole world listen to our music. And upon hearing it, people will surely say, “Tell us about this nation and show us the land where such art is born.”

Aram Khachaturyan

“Aram Khachaturyan is rich, rich with everything his motherland, his beloved Armenia has given him,” wrote Khachaturyan’s friend and colleague Dmitry Kabalevsky. Combining the principles of the Russian musical tradition with the European school, the twentieth century music language with the rich folk traditions, Khachaturyan created bright and colorful music – Armenian in its essence and immortal in its scale and effect. It was Khachaturyan who, in fact, stood at the origins of the Armenian composing school, which gained recognition far beyond its home country.

After World War II, there came about a group of young composers in Khachaturyan’s home land. They began to be called the Armenian Five (similar to the Mighty Five). Ghazaros Saryan, Alexander Arutiunyan, Edvard Mirzoyan, Adam Khudoyan, and Arno Babajanyan were almost the same age; they were graduates of the Moscow Conservatoire and course participants at the School of Armenian Culture in the Armenian Palace of Culture in Moscow, which was supervised by Aram Khachaturyan and Dmitry Shostakovich. Each of the Armenian Five possessed a musical individuality, and together they made an example of a brilliant creative union, as they inspired each other to new ideas and served the common goal of the development and dissemination of their native musical culture.

Chamber music of the Armenian Five and adaptations of theatrical and ballet pieces by Khachaturyan will be performed by the Khachaturyan Piano Trio. The outstanding Armenian musicians who joined together two decades ago have gained the reputation of the leading Armenian chamber ensemble. Recognized in many countries, the Trio repertoire avails in dozens of concert programs with music of different schools, epochs, and styles. The Trio musicians carry on with their mission, which consists in the development and preservation of Armenian music. The musicians are regular guests of Sochi.