Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000 Film) [Audio CD, Soundtrack]

Tan Dun (Artist), Yo-Yo Ma (Artist), Julio Hernandez (Artist), Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 14, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000051W22
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (103 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #23,212 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The classical works of Tan Dun typically fuse compositional elements from the East and the West, but for his soundtrack to Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, musical cultures aren't so much blurred as coexistent side-by-side. While the magical martial arts film doesn't boast music as stunning as its visuals, this soundtrack is still beautiful and elegant, a perfect complement to the movie's mysticism. Just don't expect epic, John Williams-inspired bombast here. On "A Wedding Interrupted," the riveting brass and string section introduction segues into soft-hued meditations; "Night Fight" boasts spiky percussion but sounds more reminiscent of Stomp than a kung-fu scene. That said, Dun's understated score--filled with Asian instrumentation, Romantic cello solos from Yo-Yo Ma, and a token theme song with vocals by Asian pop star CoCo Lee--is still a fascinating listen. Fans of Ma and Dun shouldn't pass this up. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

93 of 101 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When the forest turns to jade...., November 2, 2000

By	"joto25" (SALISBURY, WILTSHIRE United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

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

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Balance, December 16, 2000

By	K. Li (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

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.

56 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The light I see in your eyes., December 9, 2000

By	"deb27" (New York, New York United States) - See all my reviews

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.