| Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon |
| Composed by Tan Dun |
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Conducted by Tan Dun Performed by The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, The Shanghai National Orchestra, and The Shanghai Percussion Ensemble Cello Solos Performed by Yo-Yo Ma Produced by Tan Dun and Steven Epstein Release Date: 2000 |
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Unlike a lot of people, I did not bother to check into the hype that surrounded this film. I actually planned on catching it while it was in the middle of its theatrical run, but time got away from me and those plans eventually faltered. I just wasn’t concerned enough with the film to make every attempt to see it. Even now that it has been out on DVD for a while (enough to make it a pretty cheap buy in the local Blockbuster used DVD section) I still have yet to see it. I do plan on it some day, but that could be a while in coming, depending on when I get in the right mood to see it. I’ve had this CD even before it was officially released, though, being the procrastinator that I am, I never got around to reviewing it. I did listen to a few selections once or twice, but I could never really get into the music. Now with the proliferation of martial arts films being released (like Kiss of the Dragon, The One, and Iron Monkey), I felt it would be wise to review this score as a comparative asset to reviewing those other scores. Of course, considering that Tan Dun’s score to the film reached critical acclaim and managed to walk away with an Academy Award, it should be quite a winner, right? Well, for the most part, yes. This is a great score, although it does have a few caveats. The most successful thing that Tan Dun does with this score is meld the Asian influences with Western musical signatures in an almost perfect blending of the two styles. This gives the music a distinct Asian feel, but it never gives over completely and thus remains somewhat more grounded for those pesky American audiences. The solo cello performances are expertly performed by Yo-Yo Ma and their inclusion really helps the score to remain fresh and original. Another big plus is the fact that Dun scores the action scenes with pretty much the full orchestra. Given the tendency to score martial arts films with heavy techno or percussion backbeats, this makes a nice departure from that generally tired cliché. Dun’s string work is excellent and he composes some lush passages in a few of the quieter moments. Actually, the action music is not as persuasive in this score as you might think, and most of the darker sections are more tension driven than action driven. As a whole however, the score tends to drag in places and the lack of any noticeable thematic development really hurts the music when it stands alone. I’m sure that the score works wonderfully in the film, but as an isolated listening experience, it does tend to drag in places. And in the end, it ends up pretty much sounding like a typical Asian score to me, which may just be my own ignorance coming into play, but at the same time I didn’t feel that way about Princess Mononoke. In the end, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a perfectly fine score, but it’s not one that really blew me away. The talents of both Tan Dun and Yo-Yo Ma are expertly presented with this score, and fans of either individual would be advised to check it out. Despite my few misgivings, I would definitely recommend this score, but be sure to sample it a bit first, as it doesn’t fit everyone’s tastes. ***1/2 |
| Track Listing - Total Running Time: 50:13 | |
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