Agreement in Boston

The U.S., at least, seemed to like what it had heard of Soviet Composer Aram Khachaturian's music: both his folk-tunish Gayane Ballet Suite and his flashy Masquerade Suite were among the top classical record sellers of the year. And his Sabre Dance (from Gayane) was becoming a jukebox nuisance. Last week, Bostonian symphony-goers heard his latest: the U.S. premiere of his new cello concerto.

Cellist Edmund Kurtz, who played it with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, was full of admiration for it--and also a bit worried. Said he: "There are so many rapid passages . . . that your hand gets numb. The musician faces a number of difficult problems--and they all come at times when he is most exhausted."

When it was over last week, most listeners found its problems too difficult, and too unrewarding, for them. It was the kind of meaningless music--like his vapid violin concerto--that had sent Composer Khachaturian to the doghouse in Russia (TIME, Feb. 23). Muttered one Bostonian: "If that is a sample, maybe Stalin was right."

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