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BBC Radio 3 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced Third Programme.

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Composer of the Week

Music: Classical

Kate Molleson

An informative guide to composers' lives and their music.

An informative and accessible guide to composers' lives and their music.

Composer of the Week: Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978)

Composer of the Week: Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978): Episode 4: A Fall from Favour

Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978)

Episode 4

Episode 4: A Fall from Favour

A Fall from Favour

BBC Radio 3 - Composer of the Week, Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978), A Fall from Favour

Donald Macleod focuses on the time when Khachaturian was denounced by Stalin for formalism

Donald Macleod focuses on the time when Khachaturian was denounced by Stalin for formalism and his music fell out of favour.

His famous Sabre Dance was once the most frequently played piece of music in the world, this week Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Aram Khachaturian.

Khachaturian was accustomed to having lavish praise heaped upon him. So it came as quite a surprise when, in 1948, he was charged with the crime of 'formalism', along with his composer colleagues, Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Myaskovsky. Stalin had instigated a purge of the arts and Khachaturian was on the hit list. Suddenly, his music was out of favour. One of the works cited by Khachaturian's accusers was his Symphony No 3. At the end of its premiere, the audience sat in stony silence.

Khachaturian did his best to continue working, including further film projects. His music for the epic, Battle of Stalingrad, incorporated Russian folk music. By the early 1950s, more opportunities were coming Khachaturian's way, including the chance to work on another ballet. This would be his score for Spartacus, which includes his famous Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia.

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Aram Khachaturian

Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Aram Khachaturian, a composer whose colourful scores led him to be dubbed the 'Rubens of Russian Music'

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Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978)

Episode 4: A Fall from Favour

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