Worth a listen

It was good to see a feature article about Charles Ives (“An Overlooked Original,” by Mark Swed, April 4). I’m glad at least someone is celebrating his music on the 50th anniversary of his death, though it deserves more performances generally.

Here in Los Angeles the major music organizations seem to have forgotten that Ives even exists, with very few performances of his music offered. In general, when Ives is played, his more radical works tend to be the ones programmed, making it even more difficult to get listeners acquainted with the larger body of his work.

If people got to know his earlier symphonies, for instance, they might be more inclined to sift through the complexities of the 4th Symphony.

Barry Socher

Los Angeles

Barry Socher is the founder of the Armadillo String Quartet, which does perform Ives’ string quartets