Philip Glass

Born in 1937, the American composer Philip Glass transformed contemporary music with his hypnotic, repetitive structures, from the landmark opera Einstein on the Beach and Glassworks to film scores for The Hours, Koyaanisqatsi and Candyman. Astonishingly prolific — symphonies, concertos, operas, soundtracks — Glass turned simple, shifting patterns into music of great cumulative power. Performed live, the interlocking arpeggios and slow harmonic change of his music are mesmerising.