Composed and Co-produced by Tan Dun
Performed by Yo-Yo Ma, CoCo Lee
Co-produced by Steven Epstein
Released by Sony Classical, November 2000

Q-Review

Composer Tan Dun is most recognized for his award winning operas and symphonic compositions.  He was selected to compose an international mosaic of music to celebrate and bring in the year 2000: 2000 Today: A World Symphony for the Millennium.  His opera, Marco Polo garnered him the prestigious Grawemeyer award.

Tan Dun is no newbie to film music as he has the thriller Fallen already under his belt.  For this martial-arts film; however, he goes a much more traditional Eastern route, as opposed to the jazz influences exhibited in Fallen.  Featured in this score are the incomparable cello talents of Yo-Yo Ma, who was, of course, featured in John Williams score for Seven Years in Tibet.  Also, featured is CoCo Lee who brings her vocal talents in both English and Chinese to the romantic pop tune, A Love Before Time (14, 15).

The Bottom Line

Fans of Far Eastern scores, will find much to appreciate about Tan Dun's work for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.  There is more than the mere Oriental influence exhibited in hit film scores such as Anna and King or Seven Years in Tibet.  Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is closer to the classic works of Chinese film composer Zhao Jiping: at times hauntingly pretty and at others explosively intense.  The considerable talents of Tan Dun help set this film a cut above the average martial arts movie.

(Promotional CD Cover)

Score

Rating: 7/10

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