Carl Orff was an extremely private person, insisting that his work is the only important thing. When the editor for a lexicon on modern opera asked Orff to provide some bibliographical information, Orff replied: “Carl Orff, born in Munich, still living there.” His eight volume autobiography revea

Pioneering, Power, Primal, Religious, Repetitive, Rhythmic, Spiritual

Born in a small farm town in Germany in 1928, progressive composer Karlheinz Stockhausen found his greatest pleasure in listening to the radio with his mother and playing what he heard on the piano. He began piano lessons at the age of six. At eight, he was performing popular tunes for tips and food

20th-century music, Collage, Dense, Musique concrete

During the climactic battle scene in Kurosawa's "Ran," the camera gazes on soldiers pierced with arrows or thrust against burning battlements. In the castle tower, a patriarch searches in vain for a sword with which to commit hara-kiri. As our eyes take in the tragedy, we hear neither the cries of me

20th-century music, Contemplative, Ethereal, Moody, Organic, Silence

There are very few composers that are lucky enough to have their work described using the adjectives ‘luxurious’, ‘mysterious’, and ‘exuberant’, yet Kaija Saariaho’s work more than amply fulfils this objective. She is one of the best-known living composers working in the field of both

Dramatic, Dreamy, Elegant, Experimental, Fantastic, Feminine, Pioneering, Playful