Aram Khachaturian, the Armenian composer, created some of the 20th century's most immediately recognizable music. This 1996 Decca collection brings together his major instrumental works: the piano concerto featuring Alicia de Larrocha's shimmering virtuosity, the violin concerto with Ruggiero Ricci's commanding tone, and the Masquerade suite's colorful orchestration. The Second Symphony rounds out the set with large-scale writing combining oriental melodic gestures and Soviet-era orchestral grandeur. Khachaturian's idiom—lyrical but sturdy, occasionally kitsch but genuinely moving—comes across with full-bodied sound and committed playing from both soloists and orchestra. These performances capture both the music's exotic color and underlying emotional sincerity. Works like these explain why Khachaturian remains perpetually popular with listeners worldwide.