Track Listing

1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
2. The Eternal Vow
3. A Wedding Interrupted
4. Night Flight
5. Silk Road
6. To The South
7. Through The Bamboo Forest
8. The Encounter
9. Desert Capriccio
10. In The Old Temple
11. Yearning Of The Sword
12. Sorrow
13. Farewell
14. A Love Before Time (English)
15. A Love Before Time (Mandarin)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22488 in Music
• Released on: 2002-08-12
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Original language: French
• Running time: 50 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Ang Lee's hugely successful romantic adventure Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has a high-calibre score by Chinese-American composer Tan Dun worthy of the acclaim which has greeted the film. Dun is reunited with world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma--they collaborated on Dun's Symphony 1997--who provides the melodic and melancholy heart of this music with his lovingly crafted solos. Such passages are hauntingly spare, or filled with a lamenting passion which lingers in the memory, the beautiful central love theme being reworked into the rather incongruous pop ballad "A Love Before Time" which ends the disc with versions in both English and Mandarin. While cues such as "Silk Road" echo the mood of The Last Emperor, this score is off-set by some powerfully understated suspense and action writing, refreshingly different from the bombast of a comparable American feature. Chinese drumming is to the fore, with some enthrallingly intricate work from the Shanghai Percussion Ensemble on cues such as "Night Fight", the fully orchestral "A Wedding Interrupted" positively burning with menace. Anyone captivated by this music would do well to investigate John William's equally excellent score for Seven Years in Tibet, to which Yo-Yo Ma's mastery of the cello is also key. --Gary S. Dalkin

Customer Reviews

Beautiful
Simply put, the soundtrack to 'Crouching Tiger...' is beautiful. Tan Dun uses traditional Chinese instruments in conjunction with the poignancy of Yo-Yo Ma's cello solos to great effect, especially in the theme that stands by itself and is also woven into many of the other tracks. The music ranges from sweeping, romantic arrangements ('The Eternal Vow') to simpler percussion arrangements combined with subtle use of string instruments ('Desert Capriccio', 'Farewell', 'To the South'). It succeeds in capturing the nature of this film- grand and romantic at first glance, but really telling a simple and intimate story about desire, regret and ultimately sorrow. My only real issue is that recording seems to be at a very low volume- which results in turning it up to near maximum volume with little effect. I'm also not very keen on the theme song- particular the English version (too cheesy)- but I cannot fault CoCo Lee's vocal, especially in Mandarin.

a beautiful score
an absolutely beautiful soundtrack from an abslutely beautiful film. the cello is haunting, and the listener is transported through all of the emotions found in the film visuals without actually seeing it. there is enough variation of mood not to get tired of this cd, but each track gels well into the score as a whole. great to unwind, study, think, or read to, altho the english version of the final song, which is used as the credits roll, does somewhat spoil the mood. the instrumental tracks are far superior. i highly recommend this score.

when the forest turns to jade....
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.......