Eduard Khagagortian

Eduard Aramovich Khagagortian (Tiflis, 15 July 1930 – Moscow, 3 January 1983) was an Armenian composer who spent much of his career in the Soviet Union. His work, positioned between the academic tradition and the folk music of his homeland, occupies a recognised place in the musical life of the former USSR, particularly for his symphonies and his music for the stage and cinema.

His training began with the violin at music schools in Tiflis. He then studied composition at the Yerevan Conservatory with Egiazarian, graduating in 1954, and later with Aram Khachaturian at the Moscow Conservatory, where he completed his studies in 1964. He subsequently served as Khachaturian's assistant, both at the conservatory and at the Gnesin Institute. His institutional career progressed in parallel: he joined the board of the Union of Composers in 1964 and, in 1970, became deputy chairman of its Moscow section. In 1973 he became deputy director of the publishing house Sovetskiy kompozitor, and in 1979 he was awarded the title of Honoured Artist of the RSFSR.

According to some accounts, his music combines a notable lyrical and dramatic talent with a profound knowledge of popular music, which he himself recorded on several occasions. This combination defines his style, in which the breadth of his thought and his mastery of orchestral colour stand out, qualities that led him to write symphonies, works for the theatre and music for film.

His works include five symphonies, concertos for clarinet, harp and violin, several ballets and children's operas, such as The Cat and the Dog and The Earflap Hat, as well as the musical comedy Karinė. His legacy lies chiefly in the music of his Soviet generation and in the presence of the Armenian tradition within the symphonic scene of Moscow. More than a hundred film scores are attributed to him, although his impact beyond that sphere is not known with certainty.