Customer Reviews

Farewell My Concubine: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

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To anyone who has seen the film and loved it, the soundtrack to Farewell My Concubine jumps off the shelf as something you've gotta have. Unfortunately, not only does this recording contain all the lush cinematic fusions of traditional and new Chinese music that worked so well in the film -- it also has 3 cheesy-romantic Chinese pop songs thrown in to boot! These horrors are spaced evenly throughout the album, making them nearly impossible to avoid, and seriously marring an otherwise pleasant listening experience. What makes their presence on the disc even more unexplainable is that the pop songs in question NEVER APPEAR IN THE FILM. They are NOT actually part of the original motion picture soundtrack, and it smacks of something akin to false advertising to have them on the disc in the first place. Just my 2c.

I thought this film was great. Watching it marked a magical time in my life. And this soundtrack is just as beautiful. This is a great introduction for Western listeners to Chinese music. Songs 1, 3, and 5 take you on a journey that you won't want to have end. Though songs 2 and 4 may seem like cheesy Chinese adult contemporary, they grew on me too. This is one of the best albums I have ever purchased. I wish I could find others like it.

Well, I have another version of this original soundtrack - in Chinese packaging, with the two pop songs separated clearly from the rest of the tracks.

Even if they got them mixed, never mind. Zhao Jiping, a director at the Shenxi Drama and Dance Troupe in China, wrote and arranged some terrfic Chinese operatic excerpts for this soundtrack.

Not all these tunes were fully developed. If they do, a dozen soundtracks would be required. Each short piece is being used just to depict a particular dramatic scene, the background of which is Pekingnese opera-making.

You would do well to watch the film itself as well, one of the best Chinese movies. The late Hong Kong actor-singer Leslie Cheung really shined unexpectedly brightly in this film as the 'female' protagonist.

Without disparaging Tan Dun, a composer whom I like very much, I think listeners going after Chinese operatic music really should begin here before going to Tan's works.