Constantly surprising and consistently visionary, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington was the rare performer who was both a consummate entertainer and a musical genius respected by his peers. Ellington's orchestra, which he led for 50 years, was a showcase for his vision and a springboard for a lo

Cool, Elegant, Moody, Overflowing, Swing/big band

Michael Nyman is, in many ways, the prototypical overachieving baby boomer. Born in London at the very beginning of the boom, his first days were spent under a constant threat of German invasion. As a teenager, he studied music and composition at the Royal Academy of Music and at King's College under

Dramatic, Lush, Moody, Pathos

The unwavering, demented gaze of a stray dog captures the detached observation that characterizes the raw, unsettling work of photographer Daido Moriyama. The dog is caught in strong shadows against a high-contrast background, highlighting its whitened eyes and its angular, rangy pose. "Stray Dog," M

Documentary photography, Dramatic, Gritty, Moody, Tense

Shostakovich is often, in musical circles, called the greatest composer of the twentieth century. Yet the quality of his music is so uneven that, while a third of it is the brain-bombing work of a divine genius, another third is almost worthless, and another third scares young violinists into abandon

20th-century music, Catastrophe, Lyrical, Melancholy, Moody, Pathos, Visceral