Hero - original motion picture soundtrack - music composed and conducted by Tan Dun

 

Hero (Ying xiong) is the 2002 Chinese wuxia film directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Jet LI as the protagonist. The famous Chinese classical composer and conductor Tan Dun composed the soundtrack to the movie. His mesmerizing score is based around the story of 'The heaven that unites us all'. It's an amazing and deep soundtrack, with a lot of beautiful cues. The violin play of Itzhak Perlman adds another layer to the different compositions. 

On from the captivating main theme the soundtrack fits perfectly with the various moods of the movie. War and love blended with the historical/political/philosophical context. It is a journey you will never forget. 

At the time of Hero's release it was both the most expensive and one of the highest-grossing motion pictures in China. The film is based on the story of Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin in 227 BC.

HERO 

 

Heaven and Earth...Original Motion Picture Soundtrack...music by Kitaro

While regarded as one of the pioneers of the new age music genre, Kitaro is also no stranger to scoring for film and television. His music for the ‘Silk Road’ series by NHK in the early 1980's yielded four astonishing albums. A decade on, he would compose the music for Heaven and Earth (1993), the final picture of Oliver Stone’s unofficial ‘Vietnam War’ trilogy.

Kitaro won the Golden Globe for Best Original Score, which came rather unexpectedly, especially in a year that saw John Williams produced what was arguably his finest score for Schindler’s List (1993). His work for Heaven and Earth remains to be one of the most accomplished endeavours of his illustrious career.

Building from the symphonic sound of his massively-popular 1990 album Kojiki, his music here shows both dynamism and sensitivity as the melodies and arrangements echo the style of a traditional film score, yet are uniquely elevated by his penchant for using Asian instruments—our ears bear witness to the exquisite if sad sounds of the huqin (a kind of Chinese violin) in several tracks, and the powerful Taiko drums in ‘Arvn’ and ‘Village Attack/The Arrest’.

The synthesised sounds of what seem like the Japanese koto and flute are also brilliantly integrated with the orchestra, particularly in the stunning first track, ‘Heaven and Earth (Land Theme)’.

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The Joy Luck Club...soundtrack by Rachel Portman

It is difficult to find all the right words for a film score that literally can bring you to tears. That is the result of a brilliant and moving composition of a recurring main theme throughout the soundtrack. Rarely do you find music of its kind that has the ability to tug at the heart strings in such a way as in Portman's score to give you a feeling of inner peace.

The score to THE JOY LUCK CLUB is one of those exquisite gems that you always search for but rarely find. The sweeping music is enough to bring you to the verge of tears; it speaks volumes on love, commitment, and pain. The sountrack is beautiful just as is the movie. It mirrors the Chinese culture with grace and honor. One of the best scores of the 1990s, and for the then relative unknown Rachel Portman, a true hallmark in what was the beginning of a rich career. If you're hungry for a good, dramatic score, and one with Chinese overtures, then this will not disappoint.

1. The Story Of The Swan
2. Escape From Guilin
3. Lindo's Story
4. Best Quaility Heart
5. Upturned Chairs
6. June Meets Her Twin Sisters
7. His Little Spirit Has Flown Away
8. An-Mei's Mother Returns
9. Most Important Sacrifice
10. Tiger In The Trees
11. Lindo's Last Night
12. The Babies
13. An-Mei's New Home
14. Swan Feather
15. End Titles

                

2046...original soundtrack

This now very rare soundtrack is a joy from start to finish. It is very eclectic in the styles of music which include lush strings, lounge, jazz and even an operatic track. The score by Shigeru Umebayashi is entrancing, haunting and dramatic and stands out on its own as an expertly composed piece of music. The other tracks tend to blend in with the score and don't seem out of place which makes it very worthy to listen to...review by Marty

Amazon review......the original soundtrack has 20 moody, heart-felt instrumental tracks from the movie starring the biggest Asian star names in the industry including Tony Leung, Faye Wong, Kimura Takuya, Zhang Ziyi, Maggie Cheung and Gong Li. The well composed, arranged and mixed tracks are the works of the highly respected Umebayashi Shigeru (who has secured music credits for his masterpieces in In The Mood For Love, House of the Flying Dagger and Zhou Yu's Train), London Symphony Orchestra and several other stylish musicians.


1. 2046 Main Theme (With Percussion) (Composed By Shigeru Umebayashi)
2. Siboney Instrumental
3. Sway (Performed By Dean Martin)
4. Christmas Song (Fast Version) (Composed By Shigeru Umebayashi)
5. Julien Et Barbara
6. Siboney (Performed By Connie Francis)
7. Interlude I (Composed By Shigeru Umebayashi)
8. Polonaise (Composed By Shigeru Umebayashi)
9. Casta Diva From The Opera Norma
10. Perfidia
11. 2046 Main Theme (Rumba Version)
12. Lost (Composed By Shigeru Umebayashi)
13. Dark Chariot
14. Sysiphos At Work
15. Decision From A Short Film About Killing (Composed By Zbigniew Preisner)
16. Long Journey (Composed By Shigeru Umebayashi)
17. Adagio (Performed By Secret Garden)
18. Interlude Ii (Composed By Shigeru Umebayashi)
19. Christmas Song (Performed By Nat King Cole & The Nat King Cole Trio)
20. 2046 Main Theme (With Percussion-Train Remix) (Composed By Shigeru Umebayashi)

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