Christopher Rouse (1949-2019) was an American composer whose music is sometimes classified as postmodern, though he was frequently compared to his two musical heroes, Mahler and Shostakovich. While his first major compositions were widely regarded as the fastest and loudest in modern classical music, Rouse's mature works tended to be elegiac and brooding and often based on themes of death and the supernatural. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his popular Trombone Concerto, Rouse went on to compose concertos for many famous soloists and became one of the most admired composers of his generation.