Advent Calendar Dec 11: Masquerade Suite, By Aram Khachaturian "…Took Me By The Throat, Spun Me Around The Room, and Threw Me In An Icy River."
I just Discovered This Tonight
“Masquerade was written in 1941 by Aram Khachaturian as incidental music for a production of the play of the same name by Russian poet and playwright Mikhail Lermontov. It premiered on 21 June 1941 in the Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow. The music is better known in the form of a five-movement suite. “
“This song just took me by the throat, spun me around the room, and threw me in an icy river. Fantastic.”
—YouTube Comment
“I grew up in an atmosphere rich in folk music: popular festivities, rites, joyous and sad events in the life of the people always accompanied by music, the vivid tunes of Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian songs and dances performed by folk bards [ashugs] and musicians — such were the impressions that became deeply engraved on my memory, that determined my musical thinking. They shaped my musical consciousness and lay at the foundations of my artistic personality... Whatever the changes and improvements that took place in my musical taste in later years, their original substance, formed in early childhood in close communion with the people, has always remained the natural soil nourishing all my work.”[29]
—Aram Khachaturian
More on Lermontov’s “Masquerade” and all the difficulties it faced with the censors, here.
I loved this quote
“I grew up in an atmosphere rich in folk music: popular festivities, rites, joyous and sad events in the life of the people…”
I have always loved Khachaturian. The album
on my phone has Masquerade and the Spartacus Ballet. I wonder if anybody ever stages the ballet in NY. Not that I know anything about ballet but the music is haunting and so beautiful it hurts.
The quote above reminded me of a comment from
concession owner at our farmer’s market last Sunday. It quite cold … I asked what it’s like in Poland where he grew up. Just as cold he says, but in the south where there are resorts large crowd gather in the cold for outdoor music festivals. I guess you forget that it’s cold!
I answered that folks around here have to cheer up! He agreed but hinted that we cheered up some … referring to the election outcome. Oh yes.
Life of the people. Maybe we had that before TV! We threw out our TV but now it’s podcasts. On the other hand if we don’t stay informed the depopulation agenda …pushed by our beloved Oligarchs (the ones we never heard of) … will get rid of us peoples altogether. I guess they like silence. Like “On the Beach.” They’re trying! What turbulent waters we navigate.
A new one for me too, and yes he is genius. Thank you, Celia, for these posts! You Rock! (in a classical way...).