Hovhaness: Holy City Op. 218; Symphony No. 17
Alan Hovhaness (b. 1911) writes a kind of neo-romanticism. His music often partakes of the  mystical and transcendental. This is no more evident than inKhrimaian Hairigfor trumpet and  string orchestra. Hovhaness's writing for strings is luscious and practically divine, especially inThe  Holy City(of 1967). Hovhaness is of Armenian extraction, and much of his music is influenced by  Eastern European sources (Koharof 1946) and Asian as in the incredible Symphony for Metal  Orchestra (of 1963). No one packs so much color or character into his (or her) music as Alan Hovhaness.  Very highly recommended.--Paul Cook