I was very dissapointed when I heard this album. The sound is tinny, strident, and unbalanced. I can imagine how hard it is for unfunded orchestras to make recordings, but this sounds like a scraggly bunch of pickup players who play with no soul. Hovhaness demands a fuller, burnished tone. Even worse than the poor sound quality and sketchy intonation is the lack of a sense of flexibility and nuance. The hollowness of the playing would not be so offensive if there were a feeling of expansiveness, languidness, or generousity. I can't help thinking the composer would be very saddened by this effort. I hope Mr. Clark's realizes someday that music is not something that can be hammered out like a wall street stock deal. The kind of crassness on display here is better suited to commerce or (lamentably), politics.