1 |
Computer
Data – Not Playable |
2 |
“Isabella”
Movie Trailer |
3 |
“O
Gente Da Minha Terra” Music Video |
4 |
Echoes |
5 |
Ripples |
6 |
She
Stalks |
7 |
Dialogue
I |
8 |
Voice
of the Past |
9 |
Morose |
10 |
Exploration |
11 |
Dialogue
II |
12 |
Isabella
I |
13 |
News |
14 |
Search |
15 |
Road |
16 |
Dialogue
III |
17 |
Corpse |
18 |
Ritual
I |
19 |
Ritual
II |
20 |
Beyond |
21 |
Isabella
II |
22 |
Abandoned |
23 |
Sleeping
Beauty |
24 |
Dialogue
IV |
25 |
I’ll
Go With You |
26 |
Isabella
III |
27 |
Dialogue
V |
28 |
Goodbye |
29 |
New
Beginnings |
30 |
Memories |
31 |
To
The Heavens |
32 |
Dialogue
VI |
33 |
Decision |
34 |
Reborn |
35 |
Road
to Freedom |
36 |
O
Gente Da Minha Terra – performed by Mariza |
37 |
A
Story in Macau |
38 |
Dream
Partner – performed by Anita Mui |
REVIEW
Melancholic
music always seems to have this ability to touch us, no matter
how simplistic its orchestration is. You just need the obligatory
lonely piano with some expressive strings to accompany it,
and presto – you’d have your moody feeling music,
which is great for those self-reflective moments.
Peter Kam is one composer who knows how to utilize this in
his works. An established Hong Kong score composer whose works
include the melodramatic Fly Me to Polaris (1999) and the
affecting Perhaps Love (2005), Kam tackles his latest project
with something new – a Portuguese music style known
as Fado. His efforts paid off when he clinched the Silver
Berlin Bear award for Best Music at the Berlin International
Film Festival in February this year. That is a first for a
Chinese, and are we proud of him.
As the
film directed by Pang Ho-Cheung takes place in Macau, it is
only appropriate that Kam localizes the music score. And boy,
does he do a good job.
The gentle
and quiet score overflows with wistfulness, longing and loneliness.
You do not need to have watched the film to feel these sentiments
brought about by the tinkering piano and plucking strings.
And included in the 53-minute soundtrack is the wonderful
“O Gente Da Minha Terra” performed by Portuguese
singer Mariza. This 2002 tune can pierce your heart almost
instantly when Mariza’s vocals resonate through the
airwaves. Yes, it is that powerful.
The album
is also littered with dialogue from the film, which may make
little sense if you have not watched it. Concluding the soundtrack
is Anita Mui’s classic Cantonese song “Dream Partner”,
which wraps up the sentimental album very nicely.
As
if the listening experience isn’t rewarding enough,
the soundtrack spoils us with a movie trailer and a music
video for “O Gente Da Minha Terra”. The sensuous
and deeply saturated images from the film starring Chapman
To and Isabella Leung are a pleasure to watch. Couple that
with the lingering music tracks on the album, and everything
would be in place for a relaxing weekend evening at home.
SOUNDTRACK
RATING:
Review
by John Li
|