SOUNDTRACK EL TIGRE Y EL DRAGON

SOUNDTRACK EL TIGRE Y EL DRAGON

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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

42 of 43 found the following review helpful:

A Perfect BalanceDec 16, 2000
By K. Li
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.

55 of 60 found the following review helpful:

The light I see in your eyes.Dec 09, 2000

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.

34 of 41 found the following review helpful:

One of the best movie soundtracksNov 30, 2000

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.

9 of 9 found the following review helpful:

Crouching Yo-Yo, Hidden CoCoOct 24, 2001
By Michael J. Mazza
"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.

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