Customer Reviews

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000 Film)

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a stand-alone recording, this Original Soundtrack from the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon will take you on a journey beyond the clouds.

From the opening strains to a crash of percussion instruments, this work shows you the meaning of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Within, the music is yin/yang - leading you to burst with emotions and then stops you right there before you do. The gentle and the strong, the good and the bad, love and hate, feminine and masculine....are all played here.

This is Tan Dun in his most coherent self. Superbly brought to Life by Shanghai Symphony Orch., Shanghai National Orch., and the Shanghai Percussion Ensemble. Other ethnic instrumentalists also bring forth their fantastic contributions. No doubt the spotlight burns down on Yo-Yo Ma. Tan Dun and Ma worked together on the Symphony 1997 Heaven, Earth Mankind for the handover of Hong Kong back to China.

Here, the powerful and intense drumwork leaves you breathless in the NIGHT FIGHT. The Erhu and the Cello weave a blend of magic together throughout the main themes. Every feeling of lightness especially brought on by the Dizi, there is an undertone of the percussions, warning you of the Hidden Dragon. While this work does not evoke mystery, it is a great piece of work from and for the heart. The imagery and poetry is fascinating.

For listeners who know Tan Dun's other works, this will be most accessible indeed. Grab this soundtrack and "read" it before you watch the film. After watching the movie, let this take you back to the images and themes so well put together by Director Lee Ang.

The only jarring moments are the English/Mandarin versions of the Love theme sung by Coco Lee. While they are nice and pop on their own, it breaks an otherwise superb programme. It should have ended with FAREWELL - the strings and the rhythmic percussion leaves a disturbed longing.......

joto25

The music isn't startling; it isn't explosive and in your face; it doesn't immediately take you to the top and then drop you like a rock. Now if the score for "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" were like that, I don't think the movie would have captured my senses like it did.

There was a perfect balance between the movie and the score. The score accompanied and emphasized certain scenes in the film, giving a specific mood; the visual scenes gave the score a purpose and brought out emotions one can not always experience just by watching. One part did not overshadow the other.

A great example of that is "Night Fight". All that drumming doesn't take you by surprise. As that scene furthers along with the chase of the thief on the roof tops, the intensity of the drumming begins to build. By the time of the actually fighting you realize that the scene became more of fast paced dance between two warriors rather than a regular fight scenario. The beats followed along with each swing of an arm and each kick of a leg; this is true the other way around. In fact the music for all the fighting scenes in this film were perfectly matched. I got gradually pulled into the scene by that music and felt as if I were there personally witnessing the action.

"Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon"'s music wasn't heavily laden with synthesizers or a booming orchestra. One or two instruments became the star for some of my favorite sections. "Farewell" was a beautiful but sad piece. The duet of the Cello and Erhu drew me to the character Jen's emotion at that time. I saw what she saw and felt what she felt; The traquil sight of the mountains in the mist and the peace she could not find.

If you haven't seen the movie but only listened to the score, you are missing out on the full effect. Even after seeing this movie, listening to the music brings it all back again. Tan Dun did a wonderful job with composing this beautiful score.

This is the best soundtrack I've ever listened. You can enjoy it even you haven't seen the movie, and you'll definitely enjoy it more after you've seen that. Other customers already described the beauty of this soundtrack, and I couldn't agree more. The theme is unbelievable beautiful, heartbreaking and touching. Every time I play this CD, Tan Dun's music and Yo-Yo Ma's performance make me feel like I'm watching this movie again in my mind. I can feel the characters' conflicts and struggles, both physical and emotional. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "Night Fight", and "Farewell" are three of my favorites. (Well, almost all tracks are my favorites.) The only pity is that it doesn't contain the percussion when ShuLien and Zen fighting with all kinds of weaponry. I think it is as good as "Night Fight". And I like the English lyric of "A Love Before Time" more than Chinese one because it fits the story line better (the love between MuBai and ShuLien).

Another thing I'd like to mention is, in this soundtrack released in USA, "A Love Before Time" is different from the one in that released in Asia. I bought this soundtrack in Taiwan. The lyric and the music of this song are the same, but the way Coco Lee performs it and the composition (I mean the instruments being used) are different. I don't know why Sony Music wants to make such a change. I like the songs in Asia's version more. Nevertheless, I highly recommend you to buy this soundtrack and feel the beauty of it.

I enjoyed this film tremendously when I saw it at Grand Prince which had one of the better sound systems here. A large part of my enjoyment came from the beautiful soundtrack which underscored the film very well and yet did not call attention to itself the way many movie soundtracks did.

I am so glad that I have finally got hold of this CD after having waited 5 months for the US edition to appear. Unlike other soundtracks which tend to have over-emphasized treble, this production is relatively clean and has convincing weight and body to the drums and, importantly, Yo-Yo Ma's cello.

My only disappointment is that the pause in between tracks is a bit too long and this tends to break one's attachment to the emotion of the music. The CD should have followed the movie wherein the music flows seamlessly from one scene to another, which greatly enhances the mood and buildup of the story. (Sony should have arranged it the way it did on the Pocahontas soundtrack.)

Also, although it is a bonus to have both English and Mandarin versions of Coco Lee's song included, the Mandarin version should have come in right after the 'Farewell' track just like in the movie, instead of having the English version inserted in between. Besides, I find Coco's English rendition of the song jarring; but her intonation and enunciation of the words in the Mandarin version are truly beautiful. (Please stick to Mandarin songs, Coco.)

I am now eagerly waiting for the DVD to appear; then I can really enjoy the soundtrack (and the film, of course) the way it was in the movie.

P.S. 'joto25' should not complain about the inclusion of the Love theme as you would end up paying the same price anyway for less. You can just program your CD player to stop at where you want.

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," directed by Ang Lee, was truly an astonishing cinematic achievement: a remarkable blend of action, fantasy, philosophy, and romance, all enhanced by stunningly beautiful visuals. A crucial component of the film was the haunting soundtrack, composed by Tan Dun. The composer was joined in this achievement by Yo-Yo Ma on cello and vocalist CoCo Lee on the film's romantic theme song.

The CTHD score blends several elements: tenderness, action, and romance, all in a sweeping, epic musical tapestry. A number of passages have a somber, almost melancholy, aspect. A particularly memorable track is "Night Fight," which uses energetic, multilayered percussion. Also noteworthy is "To the South," which has a playful quality. The music as a whole effectively evokes the historic China in which the film is set.

I really like "A Love Before Time," the film's love song, sung with tenderness and passion by CoCo Lee. This song is included in two versions: English and Mandarin. If you liked the "Titanic" song ("My Heart Will Go On," performed by Celine Dion), you'll probably like this song. I highly recommend this CD to all fans of CTHD, the film, as well as to those with an interest in Asian music or international music in general.

The music of Crouching Tiger, just like the movie, is a woven tapestry of cross-genre and cultural influences; it is bound to frustrate purists of any category because it pays homage to tradition by resembling styles, but by not being any one of them specifically. I think people who feel stirred by suggestions of ideas, sound and mood are most likely to be captured by Tan Dun's subtle, haunting score. This is music that makes you feel placed on a different plane than where you're used to listening. I come to this cd as an almost exclusively Western classical music lover and I think the fusion elements are amazing. Yo-Yo Ma's incredible mastery over the mellow sounds of his cello are enough reason to pay serious attention to the melodies, from the romantically soaring tracks of The Eternal Vow and Farewell, to the jaunty, expert play around other instruments in Desert Capriccio and the heart-tugging wistfulness of the perfectly named Yearning of the Sword. The cello almost talks to you; its storytelling is so strong. The percussion elements are also terrific; my only wish for the cd would have been the inclusion of the percussion track that accompanied the heroines' final extended fight scene in the movie. And its meditative qualities are deceptive; I find I can't really work with it in the background because my mind will wander over to the music and follow the clear, sparse lines of sound instead. The reviewers before me who call it "poetry" of sound really picked the one right word. It's one of the most thoughtfully crafted soundtracks I've heard; very worthy of its Academy award.

After CoCo Lee's performance on the Oscars, I immediately picked this cd a few days later. This soundtrack is a real treasure. The score is stunning in all its simplicity and sparseness. What really caught my attention is how sparse and minimal the songs are [with the exception of "A Love Before Time"]. Tan Dun brilliantly infuses classical music with traditional Asian music, with the assistance of the talented Yo-Yo Ma. "A Love Before Time" is a gorgeous ballad. I love both the english and mandarin versions of the song. Unlike a lot of pop ballads that are thrown on to soundtracks for the sole purpose of profit, "A Love Before Time" avoids the syrupy and if not cheesy overdramatics of say "My Heart Will Go On". CoCo Lee definitely has impressed me with her talents which I originally thought wasn't anywhere impressive as I think now. She can definitely sing, and she can certainly hold her own with a lot of American singers. In conclusion, this soundtrack is one of the best I've heard in a long time.

As far as I know, this is one of Tan Dun's few tonal works...Most of his stuff is pretty avant garde and 20th century, so I was pleasantly surprised that he would undertake the task of writing film music. I bought this CD the day it came out and I was absolutely blown away. The restraint in the music mirrors that of the movie. Although the music was the perfect accompaniment to the movie, this soundtrack could stand on its own- drunk.

The counterpoint achieved with the Chinese Er-Hu, which is sort of like a Chinese fiddle, and Yo YO ma's Cello, are nothing short of superb. Although he may use western instruments, I don't believe this is fusion music, and a person of his caliber would never make something like that. He just uses some western instruments to make eastern music, their is nothing inherently Western about it. Yo-Yo ma's playing style is imitative of the Chinese Fiddle, with a slight portamento effect reminiscent of the instrument.

Another Factor is that Western music tends to be vertical, with an emphasis on Harmony and Eastern Music tends to horizontal, going foward, hence the sparse and minimalist elements. Most of the time it is just the Er-hu and Cello going at it with single lines, occasionally with a lush string accompaniment.

If you want to listen to something beautiful, buy this!! It's as simple as that.

Warning: Anyone used to the dreadful "Hollywood String Section Style" will not like this album. The Hollywood aesthetic tells you to cry when they think you have to cry, laugh when they think you have to laugh. Nothing short of being manipulative... I've always believed that a piece of art is always completed by the listener or the viewer... Hollywood, apparently doesn't let you do that... That's why Hollywoods Unfresh, obviously. F*#@ OFF HOLLYWOOD!!!

The strings in the soundtrack draws the listener (or the moviegoer) in to the powerful emotions of the story. Not only was this masterfully recorded and produced as a piece of music, but it artfully represents the colors and scenes of the asian landscape in the film.

This is the first time I've actually bought a soundtrack after seeing a movie. The music of Crouching Tiger touched me more than any movie previously. I highly recommend anyone to buy this cd. . . and if you get a chance, see the movie on as big a screen as possible with a soundsystem to match.

Enjoy!

After watching the movie, I said to myself that I have to get the CD! In my opinion, this soundtrack is full of everything, be it romantic tune, to a more spectacular Chinese drum, or even the cello played by Yo-yo Ma, everything seems to be so interesting as in the movie.

And of course, I cannot deny my favourite track, the romantic theme song - A Love Before Time sung by Coco Lee is overwhelming. Her smooth voice coupled with the emotion she portray, can actually bring tears to the finale of the movie.

Even if you do not like the movie, this CD is actually a good buy , because it combines everything into one, you have the cellist, Yo-yo Ma, Coco's powerful yet emotional voice and the producer, Tan Dun producing this exciting CD soundtrack.