Charles Ives: Second String Quartet Hovhaness: “Lousadzak” Concerto No. 1 for Piano and Strings

Charles Ives is one of the most important American classical composers of international distinction, but it wasn’t always so: he was frustrated by indifferent audiences and ambivalent critics throughout his career. Composer Alan Hovhaness, a rough contemporary of Ives, also faced harsh criticism while trying to establish himself. Suspend all doubt here with this delightful recording of Ives’s Second String Quartet by the Walden String Quartet and Hovhaness’s piano concerto by pianist Maro Ajemian and an orchestra conducted by the composer.