Aram Khatschaturian

Waltz from Masquerade

Masquerade was written in 1941 as incidental music for a play of the same name by Mikhail Lermontov, however the music is better known in the form of a five-movement suite, which Khachaturian extracted in 1944. The famous Waltz theme in particular gave Khachaturian much trouble in its creation. The composer later described his 'strenuous search' for the appropriate style and melodic inspiration, when finally the second theme of his waltz came to him, which acted 'like a magic link, allowing me to pull out the whole chain. The rest of the waltz came to me easily, with no trouble at all. ' This complete transcription by Lynne Latham for string orchestra is the first of its kind, perfect for more advanced ensembles. An easier, shorter arrangement is also available from the publisher.