This is a very important release in the history of music. Undoubtedly one of the standout Chinese films of the new millennium, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was released in 2000. It was a critically acclaimed and well-loved film (to this very day) that was a great mixture of martial arts, Chinese history, an emotional storyline based on a novel and a bunch of film stars that ensured its international success, such as Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi. This soundtrack was released to accompany this legendary film. China is more important today than it ever has been, and the music here was created as China was experiencing double-digit GDP growth per year, and now China is the second largest economy in the world as a result. It would be foolish to not hear this soundtrack and listen to it from start to finish, so let’s listen to this film soundtrack and we shall hear where it takes us.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is the opening theme piece. It sounds deep, sad and mournful on a viola. Soon enough, the orchestra kicks in with a sweet medley of Eastern and Western Music. This is really pretty, but moving enough to make the listener wish to move to tears. A very, very sad piece to listen to. Also, this is very beautiful to listen to as well. The mixture of viola with Chinese instrumentation is unique. In the second half are some more dramatic violin and viola, with some interesting and more positive sounds throughout this tune. This is excellent, and Pipa is present, too. A gorgeous soundtrack for those who are nostalgic for the film, and even for Westerners who need a dose of Chinese Music, this ends with a very nice and powerful orchestral conclusion. A great listen that never ages. It fades out nicely at the end.

The Eternal Vow begins with some Chinese instrumentation, rolling drumbeats and has a violin repeating the themed melody at present. Very sad and moody, once again. This is not happy-go-lucky sounding music at all, it is music that is designed for a serious, sober mood that requires an intellectual mindset. This perfectly fits the movie and is played throughout it. A great and sad piece that can move one to tears, once again. This is some of the saddest instrumental music ever recorded, yet it fits this amazing film and the listener perfectly. If you aren’t crying upon listening to this, then you are very unique indeed. A melancholy piece to listen to.

A Wedding Interrupted is part of the plot. It begins with racing instrumentation and sounds more upbeat here. Racing violins, horns and traditional Chinese instrumentation are present and this tune is really dramatic to listen to. This is supplementary music that has a good and surprising twist to the soundtrack, and it has wind instrumentation, too. If you have seen the film (no spoilers here), then you will be much aware of the scene it involves. Some Pipa is present at the end, and this gradually wraps up after two minutes. Good.

Night Fight begins with more melodic and mournful melodies, with some strings thrown in for good measure. This continues on until the music dramatically changes with Zither, clacking sticks and is a highly memorable listening experience from the film itself. Soon enough, tribal drums enter and this tune gets into the martial arts arena. Very pacing and suspenseful, this is superb. A really interesting and different listening experience from the film, the stick clacking continues on for some time, before some more pacing and dramatic drumming enters. A really great listening experience that gets faster, louder and more urgent throughout, a really cool and interesting listen from the first half of the film. Very great to hear and to experience. It ends furiously.

Silk Road is a slow, sad-sounding tune from the start, showcasing the centre of the film. It is, like the tracks before it, very moody throughout, repeating the themed melody from the film. A really pretty and unique listen in the history of music, this is a solid winner of a soundtrack and this tune is no different as well. It is magical Eastern Music that is accessible to Westerners as well. The violin piece in the centre of the track is very moving. Anyone who has ever watched this film from start to finish will understand this music and its deep relation to the film itself. A very deep and emotional listening experience, this is incredibly sweet to hear, in a sad way. It ends just after three minutes in length. Excellent.

To The South is a slow and melodic piece that sounds really great. It has some awesome Chinese wind instrumentation that is world-class and excellent. Soon enough, subtle drums enter and this piece gradually gets louder throughout. It sounds cool and different and is very upbeat and pleasant listening. A break from the sad and melodic music throughout this film, it gradually builds up in intensity and pace. This is a memorable tune from the film itself, and gets more uptempo and intense, gradually towards the end of it all. It then ends without warning after two minutes long. Great.

Through The Bamboo Forest begins with eerie and brutal string sections, relating to that particular section of the film. It is an unsettling listening experience and has a deal of urgency about it. This is matched by excellent wind instrument work that sounds great. The melodies throughout are very different, yet they thematically connect with the film nicely. No doubt a tremendous effort of preparation and effort has gone into this piece, along with the rest of the other pieces on the film itself. It does sound extremely good for what it is. A worthy instrumental that sounds very different and slower in tempo, this is music that progresses the plot of the film very well. Soon enough, in the second half, it gets much more subtle than before, with some clacking of percussion sticks throughout. Very odd and different. It soon builds up in volume and suspense just before it all ends. A great listening experience, this fades out after four minutes in length. Awesome.

The Encounter has some of the most eerie-sounding music out there, to begin with. It quickly launches into a sad and moody piece of music that is deeply rooted in Chinese tradition. As with the rest of the album, it sounds very decent and awesome. Clanging chords are throughout, along with a deeply disturbing-sounding Chinese Classical Music section. Still, it retains its beauty and melody throughout. A great listening experience with joyous Pipa playing and Classical Music sounds, this is very different. It does sound very top-notch, though. A short piece over two minutes long with a great deal of suspense.

Desert Capriccio begins with a good mixture of melodies and percussion and launches into an interesting Chinese Music instrumental piece with violin. Very different, this is quite sweet to hear. It is a solo piece without the official orchestras here, but by goodness, it is still essential and gorgeous to listen to. The music progresses very nicely, with some interesting mash-up of Western and Chinese instrumentation throughout. This piece has some brilliant Chinese melodies and Western sounds present. A great listening experience for fans of the film, and Chinese Music in general, it does sound awesome. This is an interesting and moody instrumental that sounds awesome, even if you have seen the film or not. It progresses along very well and just sounds absolutely awesome and different. Worth your ears, this is a monumental piece. Period. It ends after four and a half minutes in length. Another great piece to hear.

In The Old Temple begins with some more moody melodies, and launches into an interesting piece of music that takes prominence throughout the midsection of the film. This is again, fitting for the film itself, and it does sound really great throughout. A genuinely good listening experience, this has some eerie suspense and urgency simultaneously. For fans of the film, this will make perfect sense upon listening to it. A great listening experience, it has a dark side to the music as well. Great to hear, and worth some image-evoking scenes from the film. A unique listen in the history of music. It gradually begins to wrap up with some Pipa work and other orchestral melodies to match. Very, very good, and something worth hearing, especially after viewing the film.

Yearning Of The Sword begins with some moody instrumentation that is really excellent. This is followed by some awesome wind instrument melodies that sound great, and this sounds super sad. Not a happy lot of tunes on this album, despite the fact that it is indeed, a fantastic album to listen to. The sounds and melodies throughout are very, very memorable and irresistable to listen to. Nonetheless, this deep and melancholy piece sounds really great. A piece to open up the heart here, this does sound really brilliant. A great instrumental that can bring some grown men to tears, this is very pretty and sad music from the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon film itself. A unique piece of lovely instrumentation, this works incredibly well as a tune. It sounds extremely awesome for a low mood. It wraps up after three and a half minutes. Sad but lovely.

Sorrow begins with more suspenseful and eerie string sections, and sounds very dark indeed. Soon enough, some pacing instrumentation enters and we are underway. This is by far one of the darkest compositions ever created, it sounds very dark indeed. Additional string sections enter, and this piece is very weird, all right. It progresses well and has a very Star Wars-oriented feel to the music. A sad listening experience towards the end of the film itself, this is very, very deep. A weird and odd listening experience compared to other music, but in the context of the film, is perfect for the moment. Strings in the second half intermittently enter, and this indicates a sense of urgency and distress musically. Regardless, this is not a cheerful listen. This eventually builds up in sound layers and volume to a climax, which ends with a slow and gradual fade out. Deep.

Farewell is a very sad piece that ends the film well. It is very deep musically and melodically and is another real tearjerker of a piece. It sounds very pretty and dramatic nonetheless. A good piece of serious, sober dramaticism, this is a piece that one will never forget upon hearing. This is a tune that will capture the hearts and minds of those who love Chinese culture and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon itself. Pounding drums are present throughout, before this tune winds up just before two and a half minutes in length. Great.

A Love Before Time is a piece minus the large orchestras. It has the reoccurring melodies from the film and launches into a fairly upbeat listen (surprisingly) with some English vocals throughout. Very unusual, but this sounds really fantastic to listen to. This is a really top-notch and pleasant listening experience that will either make you smile or cry. Nonetheless, this amazing song is worth your ears. The mixture of Western Pop and Chinese instrumentation, this is a strange musical mixture but nonetheless, a very effective listen. An absolutely wonderful and beautiful listening experience, likely about fate and some religious beliefs, it nonetheless sounds very amazing. A great song in English, this ends with plucked Pipa and violin melodies. It ends well.

A Love Before Time (Mandarin) is sung by CoCo Lee and is the final track on this composition album. It is very much the same as the track before it, except it is in Mandarin Chinese. Regardless, this is a fantastic listening experience that sounds really heartwarming and lovely. It is a very sad and moving listen, but something that is very touching. It sounds irresistibly fantastic, and is a good listen. China is a country with fantastic culture, and this music proves that. A great listening experience, this is music best heard in a serious mood. Nonetheless, it works incredibly well as a piece of musicianship that is a good fit to conclude the album. It wraps up with violin and Pipa to conclude. Very sad indeed.

This is an album release one definitely can hear as a tearjerker. Sure, it sits as a soundtrack to the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon film, but even on its own, this is amazing listening. This is music that one cannot feel overly joyous or dance along to, but it certainly has its place in the history of music. Should you listen to this soundtrack? Yes, you should but be warned, this Chinese Music soundtrack is very sad indeed.

Brilliant.

9/10