Tan Dun - Hero

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 cliché, 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 Amazon.com

A Heroic Performance!!

First of all, you'll want to watch the movie before purchasing this, which is a good thing because the movie is also excellent! A good soundtrack mesmerizes the audience, filling them with the emotion of the scene before them. This soundtrack performs admirably, probably better than any I have ever heard. One would be hard pressed not to be affected by this powerful performnce. It has something to offer most anyone's taste as far as emotion goes, from action, to romance, to tragedy, all done at an epic scale using plenty of traditionally Chinese themes and instruments. So basically, its great, and receives my highest recommendation. February 11, 2008

So Beautiful!

I love the emotion, the longing in the music of this album. You can just feel it. I am working on a novel, and this album is one of my top choices to listen to when I am writing because it conveys so much feeling. January 28, 2008

Amazing

I cant really begin to describe how amazing this soundtrack is, and how well it fits with the movie. October 27, 2007

Majesty, Beauty, and Sorrow

This is, quite simply, one of the best musical compositions I have ever had the honor to experience. Although it is simpler than the "Crouching Tiger" score in some respects, it is also more focused. The main theme is interpreted again and again, and the effect is like the overall waxing and waning of the tides, and the continuous flow of water on the sands.The soundtrack "Hero" is actually a sharp reflection of the water of the Empyrean, and its four pillars of Consciousness, Spirit, Soul and Nature. It is a manifestation of the Womb of Creation, Providence, Life, and Death; it carries within it the vibrations of love, lordship, and the baptism of trial and tribulation that the seekers of Justice and Walayah cannot escape."Hero" is much bigger than the associated film: it will open your heart and the ducts of your eyes (particularly -- but not restricted to -- the tracks Gone with the Leaves and Love in Distance). For the cognizant, the tears it generates hearken back the Passion of the Hero of the Ages, the Martyr of the Desert Plain, the Nexus of Walayah where the most severe trial and tribulation meets the most intense cognizance of the Source of creation in a burst of supreme sacrifice and delight. Experience it! August 24, 2007

A dream

A magistral execution... close your eyes and dream.... a perfumed atmosphere will pervade you May 29, 2007

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