Hero (Music From the Original Soundtrack)

Hero (Music From the Original Soundtrack)
- Shrink-wrapped
Tan Dun straddles the very different worlds of concert music and film scores, winning admirers in both. He's perhaps best known for his score to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which shares with Hero a visual poetry that transcends the sword-filled action film genre. In Crouching Tiger, Tan Dun's music was often striking. In Hero he often lapses into repetition and clichÃ©, a failing compensated for by several appealing cues. The Overture, for example, begins with the mournful wail of ancient Chinese instruments set against pounding drums, a promising start that evokes ancient China and the struggles to come. There's a mournful soprano vocalise in "Gone With the Leaves," and the "Warriors" cue recalls Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky. The plucking of the ancient Chinese lute in "In the Chess Court" evokes a timeless, peaceful mood, contrasting with the thrilling kodo drummers showcased in "Swift Sword." Itzhak Perlman gets cover billing for violin solos any competent studio fiddler could have handled. Tan Dun's admirers will want this, and audiophiles will love those kodo drummers. --Dan Davis

Country	USA
Brand	Masterworks
Manufacturer	Sony Classical / Sony Music Soundtrax
Binding	Audio CD
ItemPartNumber	1792601
Model	2110747
ReleaseDate	2004-08-24
UnitCount	1
Format	Soundtrack
UPCs	696998772625
EANs	0696998772625

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