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

With a distinct twentieth-century classical sensibility, Elmer Bernstein has a taste for the bold and the dramatic. He is best know for his soundtracks for Westerns and action films such as "The Magnificent Seven," "True Grit," "The Shootist" and even 1999's summer extravaganza, "Wild Wild West"; but

Lush, Moody, Pathos, Quirky

The portion of the nineteenth century that posterity has dubbed the Romantic era saw the birth of one of Western culture's greatest archetypes: the Romantic genius. The spirit of the age was incarnated in several dozen men and women, artists whose powers of expression were matched only by the origina

Dramatic, Grand, Monumental, Moody

Like many electronica artists, Richard D. James chose a handle for his recordings because he believes the music is more important than the man behind it. But why "Aphex Twin?" Music buffs can chew on several clues: Aphex is the name of a company that makes high-end audio products frequently used by J

Abstract electronica, Ambient, Eclectic, Electronic, Intense, Layered, Moody, Surreal