Symphony No.3 in C major 'Symphony-Poem' - Aram Khachaturian

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Fedor Glushchenko. Simon Lindley as the organist.

I - Allegro moderato, maestoso - Allegro - Andante sostenuto - Maestoso - Tempo I: 0:00

Khachaturian's Symphony No.3 was composed in 1947 for the 30th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, being originally conceived as a symphonic poem. It was premiered on December 13 by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Yevgeny Mravinsky. Structured in a single movement, it is boldly scored for orchestra, 18 trumpets and organ. Khachaturian said that he "wanted this work to express the Soviet people’s joy and pride in their great and mighty country. An apotheosis of joy and confidence in the future, a hymn to labour".

However, the work's dissonant and more modernist style, its unorthodox structure and orchestration dissatisfied the Stalinist cultural authorities. Two weeks after the premiere, the composer was denounced by Tikhon Khrennikov, following the resolution of the Central Committee led by Zhdanov condemning him as a formalist in 1948. Like other composers affected by this decree, Khachaturian delivered a speech apologizing and promising a reform in his composition style, after which his position was restored. The experiments and musical advances present in the third symphony were left behind, and while not banned, the work wasn't performed for a long while after Stalin's death. Khachaturian found a refuge in composing film and patriotic music, like the score for "The Battle of Stalingrad" (1949), for which he received a Stalin prize.

The work is loosely structured in three parts. It opens with expectating tremolos of the strings, leading to a triumphal main theme presented by an imposing fanfare of the trumpets, possibly representing the might and power of the Soviet Union itself. Follows a canonical passage for the trumpets over the march rhythm of the snare drum. The organ enters in a virtuosistic tocatta-like section, interrupted three times by fanfares of the trumpets. A diminuendo, followed by a tutti leads us to the second part. The strings present a deeply lyrical and noble second theme, possibly representing the people of the Soviet Union. The music grows in an expressive and powerful climax. A hopeful motive on the strings that grows and succumbs in quick succession is contrasted by a nervous clarinet solo over pizzicatos of the strings.

An urgent entrance of the strings leads us to the third part. A turbulent motive on strings is presented over timpani blows, leading to a violent passage enhanced by the trumpets and the snare drum, as if they remembered the horrors of the recent second world war. This culminates in a massive climax with the organ, which soon after begins another virtuosistic tocatta-like fast solo, interrupted by orchestral tuttis. The music explodes in a massive apotheosis of joy and confidence. The lyrical second theme is triumphally recapitulated, followed by the main one in a massive, bombastic climax. A coda that grows more and more intense, boisterous and loud ends the work with a deafening note.

Picture: Photograph of "Worker and Kolkhoz Woman" (1937) by the Russian sculptor Vera Mukhina.

[paultah]

Thank you BBC Philharmonic for this wonderful performance of this symphony with the fiery Organ. I have listened to this Symphony with different orchestras past 30 years and was not impressed much. This performance is one the best. This Symphony requires great audio engineering to balance between the Orchestra and the Organ, between Strings with the Trumpets, so that we can listen to all with equal amplitude. Thank you again!

[DressedForDrowning]

Khachaturian is a different composer. He makes the most energetic music of all classical composers. So much verver and energy.