Masquerade (Khachaturian)
Encyclopedia
The Incidental music
to Masquerade was written in 1941 by Aram Khachaturian
for a production of Russia
n poet and playwright Mikhail Lermontov
's play of the same name
. It premiered on 21 June 1941 in the Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow
. Later, in 1944, Khachaturian extracted five movements to make a symphonic suite
.
Khachaturian was asked to write music for a production of Masquerade being produced by the director Ruben Simonov
. The famous waltz theme in particular gave Khachaturian much trouble in its creation: moved by the words of the play's heroine, Nina - "How beautiful the new waltz is! ...something between sorrow and joy gripped my heart." - the composer struggled to "find a theme that I considered beautiful and new". His former teacher, Nikolai Myaskovsky
, attempted to help Khachaturian by giving him a collection of romances and waltzes from Lermontov's time; though these did not give immediate inspiration, Khachaturian admitted that "had it not been for the strenuous search" for the appropriate style and melodic inspiration, he would not have discovered the second theme of his waltz which acted "like a magic link, allowing me to pull out the whole chain. The rest of the waltz came to me easily, with no trouble at all."
Incidental music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
to Masquerade was written in 1941 by Aram Khachaturian
Aram Khachaturian
Aram Ilyich Khachaturian was a prominent Soviet composer. Khachaturian's works were often influenced by classical Russian music and Armenian folk music...
for a production of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n poet and playwright Mikhail Lermontov
Mikhail Lermontov
Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov , a Russian Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called "the poet of the Caucasus", became the most important Russian poet after Alexander Pushkin's death in 1837. Lermontov is considered the supreme poet of Russian literature alongside Pushkin and the greatest...
's play of the same name
Masquerade (play)
Masquerade is a verse play written in 1835 by the Russian Romantic writer Mikhail Lermontov. The four-act play, set in 1830's St. Petersburg aristocratic society, highlights the rebellious spirit and noble mind of the protagonist, Eugene Arbenin.-Plot:...
. It premiered on 21 June 1941 in the Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. Later, in 1944, Khachaturian extracted five movements to make a symphonic suite
Masquerade Suite
The Masquerade suite is an orchestral work by the Soviet-Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian, composed in 1944, based on his incidental music to Mikhail Lermontov's play Masquerade.-Notes and references:...
.
Khachaturian was asked to write music for a production of Masquerade being produced by the director Ruben Simonov
Ruben Simonov
Ruben Simonov was a Soviet artist and director, Peoples Artist of the USSR, Professor. Awarded by the State Prize of the USSR title ....
. The famous waltz theme in particular gave Khachaturian much trouble in its creation: moved by the words of the play's heroine, Nina - "How beautiful the new waltz is! ...something between sorrow and joy gripped my heart." - the composer struggled to "find a theme that I considered beautiful and new". His former teacher, Nikolai Myaskovsky
Nikolai Myaskovsky
Nikolai Yakovlevich Myaskovsky was a Russian and Soviet composer. He is sometimes referred to as the "father of the Soviet symphony".-Early years and first important works:...
, attempted to help Khachaturian by giving him a collection of romances and waltzes from Lermontov's time; though these did not give immediate inspiration, Khachaturian admitted that "had it not been for the strenuous search" for the appropriate style and melodic inspiration, he would not have discovered the second theme of his waltz which acted "like a magic link, allowing me to pull out the whole chain. The rest of the waltz came to me easily, with no trouble at all."