Of Armenian and Scottish extraction, the American composer Alan Hovhaness was a trend-setting pioneer who absorbed a variety of archaic and modern influences from East and West. He once said: �My purpose is to create music, not for snobs, but for all people � music which is beautiful and healing.� Described by the composer�s wife as his �true masterpiece�, Khrimian Hairig, with its trumpet solo, recalls the heroic Armenian priest of the title. Hovhaness� virtuoso and romantic Guitar Concerto was written for the Bolivian guitarist Juan Calderon. The Symphony No. 60 �To the Appalachian Mountains�, expresses the composer�s love of the music and folk poetry of the Appalachians. Other works by Alan Hovhaness can be heard on Naxos 8.559207 and 8.559241.