Despite her brave new sound-world, Gloria Coates is something of a classicist among modern composers. Having now written fourteen symphonies, three of which are included on this recording, she is the most prolific woman symphonist who has ever lived. Her most recent, Symphony No. 14, a homage to her native America, is typically experimental in its use of glissandos and quarter-tones. Symphony No. 1 begins with the strings tuned to a Chinese scale, which by the end of the third movement have been retuned to conventional Western tonality. Scored for full orchestra with brass and percussion, the Seventh Symphony is one of Coates' most ambitious works.