KHACHATURIAN
ARAM KHACHATURIAN
(1903–1978)
Moscow State Symphony Orchestra – Spartacus Suite
Eden Court, 1997
Although it consistently shows the influence of the folk music of his native Armenia, the music of Aram Khachaturian is also notable for its academic discipline. And discipline has been an important factor in the creative life of Soviet musicians since the Revolution. Composers would get a government subsidy to support them through the writing of a major opus, but in return the theme and moral of that work was expected to toe the Party line. Khachaturian took no chances with his ballet music, and of his three works in the form, Gayaneh (1942) and Spartacus (1956) are the most famous: the former features the brilliantly exciting ‘Sabre Dance’ while Spartacus has yielded one of this century’s best loved suites of ballet music.
Probably the most successful Russian ballet since Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, Spartacus makes full use of the Russian theatre’s predilection for colourful display and splendour of staging. Based on the historical revolt of the Roman slaves led by Spartacus in 73 BC, the score took Khachaturian three and a half years to complete, working in the summer months only, and was first staged ay the Kirov Opera and Ballet Theatre, Leningrad, on 27 December 1956. A year later a much-reworked version appeared at the National Theatre in Prague, and in March 1958 a third production took place at the Bolshoi in Moscow. None of these versions was felt to be completely without flaws, however, and although the score earned the composer the Lenin Prize in 1959, it wasn’t until 1968, when Yuri Grigorovich completely overhauled both choreography and music, that the ballet achieved the worldwide fame it enjoys today. Although the muscular, heroic dance style and the epic scale of the action – not to mention the work’s political correctness – have made it a classic example of 20th-century Russian taste, the suite drawn from the score had appeared some time before the first stage production, and was already a firm favourite with audiences.
The story is a simple one: the cruel and arrogant General Crassus returns in triumph with many slaves from Thrace, among them Spartacus and his wife, Phrygia. During an orgy at his villa, he organises a fight between two masked captives. The victor turns out to be Spartacus who is agonised to find he has killed a close friend. He incites his fellow slaves to rebel and they break out of their barracks. After defeating Crassus in single combat, Spartacus spares the Roman’s life but, vowing vengeance, Crassus’s consort Aegina infiltrates the rebels’ camp and saps the resolve of the weaker slaves with wine and women. In the final battle, Spartacus is defeated by treachery and his body is hoisted high on the Roman spears.
The music of antiquity has not come down to us in any reliable way, so in order to strike the correct emotional chord with his modern audience, the composer has deliberately chosen to employ a passionate and emotional style that would convey the feelings of the characters rather than the reality of ancient musical forms. The libretto, by the playwright Volkov, concentrates on scenes of emotive tension, and the whole work is imbued with an aura of lavishness in the lush melodies, the opulent orchestration and the rich, colourful harmonies.
The suite recreates four scenes from the full score and amply conveys the wide range of moods encompassed in the ballet – from noble to decadent, seductive to heroic, melancholy to triumphant. British audiences less familiar with the complete work will be most likely to recognise at least the opening Adagio, which was used as the theme tune for BBC TV’s long-running seafaring drama, The Onedin Line in the early 1970s.
