Chinese composer and conductor Tan Dun gave us one of the best scores of 2000 with “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” due to its delicate and sorrowful cello performances played by the legendary Yo-Yo Ma and its perfect accompaniment to the film. Tan Dun uses the erhu, dizi and cello and fuses them with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra to create a rich, authentic listening experience. Dun also composes one of the most yearning and beautiful love themes that is heard often within the score’s running time; each time played with appropriate restraint by Yo-Yo Ma and erhu player, Ma Xiao Hui. The album does hit a weak point by including the tacky “A Love Before Time” song sung by Hong Kong Pop artist CoCo Lee, but luckily it is overshadowed by the great score prior to the final track. Highlights include “The Eternal Vow”, “A Wedding Interrupted”, “Through The Bamboo Forest”, and “Farewell”. Although it was nominated at the Academy Awards in a category full of strong candidates such as Gladiator, Malena and Chocolat - Tan Dun’s score definitely edges out the rest due to its consistency and overall impact in the film. 9.5/10.