About two weeks ago I posted on my pleasure of listening to the string
quartets of Hovhaness on a Delos recording.  What I didn't listen to
until last night were the first four tracks, the opus 30 bagatelles.

I must admit to being "shocked" during my listening.  Each of the
bagatelles was nothing more than new-age music right down to the "beat"
and the waves of music that creep upon the listener to create that
"hypnotic" effect.  Not caring for new-age music, I can't say anything
favorable about the bagatelles.  They are just the type of music that one
would expect to hear when in a "high-art" retail shop - nice sounds with
a significance bordering on zero.

Don Satz
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