Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000 Film)

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...Read more

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...Read more

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...Read more