Composer – James Horner
Horner also composed music for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Avatar and Titanic (to name a few), which became the all time best selling orchestral film soundtrack. Although he became quite successful, he was also criticised numerous times for reusing his own work from previous compositions, and also reusing sections from other composer’s work.
I enjoyed the composition. I think it was very well put together and I liked that the dynamics and tempo build up and slow back down throughout the track. I think parts of the composition were quite uplifting but also evoked some emotion.
I think that the composer is trying to express a lot of emotion through this piece. It is evident through the instrumentation of the piece in addition to the melody that at this point within the film a character is reminiscing back on something and feels a lot of emotion towards it. However, around 1:52 you can picture images of a beautiful “Forbidden City” as the piece’s dynamics change and the duration of the chords etc become much shorter.
This is a very orchestral piece, instruments that can be heard include piano, assembled strings, harp and chimes. The texture of the piece changes quite a bit; it starts off quite thin, gradually gets thicker then goes back to being thin again.
I wouldn’t say the piece has set A or B sections, nor is it repetitive. In my opinion, the piece tells a story, so the sections are more like an equilibrium leading to a resolution.
The composition is written in the key F# minor, and the chords change several times. The string instruments provide harmonies while the piano plays the melody. It does sound quite simple but it helps the piece flow together.