Kundun: Music From The Original Soundtrack [Soundtrack]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
For the second of 1997's dueling Buddhist epics (the other being Seven Days in Tibet, scored by John Williams), director Martin Scorsese made a wise--if commercially challenging--choice in tapping noted minimalist composer Philip Glass to score Kundun. Glass (who's previously scored the avant garde documentary Koyaanisqatsi trilogy, Mishima, and the strange Candyman horror series), is the perfect choice here; his own Buddhist beliefs play a key role in meshing image and music. Glass's familiar compositional techniques are wedded on Kundun to a sensitive use of ethnic instruments and the voices of the Gyuto Monks, adding an aura of spiritual power missing from most Hollywood fare. --Jerry McCulley

What the Critics Say
Eighteen tracks traverse a wide stylistic field, accumulating a symphonic sweep.... Glass is no stranger to Tibetan culture: portentous, processional, but never pompous, he proves himself an ideal choice for this work.

Kundun: Music From The Original Soundtrack [Soundtrack]

Tracks:

Sand Mandala
Northern Tibet
Dark Kitchen
Choosing
Caravan Moves Out
Reting's Eyes
Potala
Lord Chamberlain
Norbu Plays
Norbulingka
Chinese Invade
Fish
Distraught
Thirteenth Dali Lama
Move To Dungkar
Projector
Lhasa At Night
Escape To India

Amazon.com

For the second of 1997's dueling Buddhist epics (the other being Seven Days in Tibet, scored by John Williams), director Martin Scorsese made a wise--if commercially challenging--choice in tapping noted minimalist composer Philip Glass to score Kundun. Glass (who's previously scored the avant garde documentary Koyaanisqatsi trilogy, Mishima, and the strange Candyman horror series), is the perfect choice here; his own Buddhist beliefs play a key role in meshing image and music. Glass's familiar compositional techniques are wedded on Kundun to a sensitive use of ethnic instruments and the voices of the Gyuto Monks, adding an aura of spiritual power missing from most Hollywood fare. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous blending of music, film and subject.......2005-02-27

First, let me explain that I absolutely love the film Kundun.

I beleive it is a true work of art/ labor of love that didn't receive the recognition it so much deserves.

Let me skip to the big point-- the last 10 minutes of this film is a near perfect blend of music that is spot- on for the subject matter, which is enlightenment.

My guess is that a *very conscious* person had a lot to do with the creation, blending & timing of the music, script and film, especially for the last ten minutes-- OR that it was a total coincidence that it came out to be so near perfect. (either is very much in keeping with the movie's theme, which is NOT the Dalai Lama at all, but enlightenment)

Not for everyone, and I'm afraid I may have built it up in your mind too highly, so that you'll feel let down by the actual expereince of the music itself, I can say that *everytime* I listen to the last ten minutes especially (titled Escape to India), I cry for joy at *experiencing* a few minutes of the most sublime enlightenment, tears, sorrow & simple joy and wonder at being alive in this dance of life myself.

Thank you, Phillip Glass, Martin Scorcese and all those involved in this brilliant study of how a culture's focus on a single individual being assumed to be enlightened-- and his training to actually act the part, resulted in a person of great compassion, richness and insight.

In other words, their culture made him enlightened by treating him as enlightened.

What if we were all assumed to be enlightened and treated as such-- what difference would that make to you, at this very moment, dear reader, as you absorb these words? If that sentence has any impact on you at all, then you'll likely be *deeply moved* by both the movie and soundtrack.

Hypnotic.......2001-12-01

I may be in the minority of the reviewers here, in that I have never seen the movie "Kundun". I picked up this cd because it looked interesting (I know...u can't judge a book, or cd in this case, by it's cover), but I am a great experimentor and I love 'discovering' different forms and types of music. And this looked intriguing and different. I thought it might be hard to get into, but not at all. From the opening track I was spellbound. I find the whole album to be very dark and mysterious...captivating, hypnotic and spellbinding. It is unlike any soundtrack that I own, and I love it. I've been playing it straight for the last 3 days, and the more I hear it the more I find to like. It's a wonderful cd to relax and meditate too. It is very soothing. Now I just have to see the movie too. :)

Middling.......2000-05-23

You may like Glass, you may like his previous film music, but you may not like this. Just sharing the category I'm in!

Glass has done a lot of great work, and also a good deal of mediocre work, and this score is definitely in the latter. While it works well with the movie, listening to it on it's own is a disappointment. The difference between this and the great "Koyanisqaatsi" is important. The music for that movie was written with a core focus that permeates each piece, and althought the individuals sections are much longer than in "Kundun," interest never wanes. On this soundtrack, however, the trademark repetition never really catches hold, since there always seems to be a crucial musical element missing, as if there was nothing but accompaniment. While the tracks are briefer, they say very little, and there's no build up of musical drama. Of course, it's a soundtrack, and a good accompaniment to the other element of the movie, but as a stand alone recording it doesn't work.

this Glass guy is really getting to me.......2000-04-21

I used to HATE Philip Glass. I thought, how can such a no-talent hack get work-- all he does is make the same music and recycle it! Then I saw Koyanasqatsi and Powaqqatsi. Powaqqatsi really impressed me, particularly because of the music. I saw the CD sitting in a record store one day, and bought it (the clerk even forgot to charge me for it!)

Not less than a week ago I wrote a five-star review of the excellent Powaqqatsi soundtrack, relaying how great I thought the music was while knock, knocking Philip Glass for his repetition. After that I began browsing through the other Glass listings, listening to the samples. Later, I saw the Kundun DVD at my video store, and decided to watch it again. The next day, I searched out the soundtrack. I have to take back the statement I made about never having to hear another Glass score. Granted, all of his music seems to be variations of a similar theme, but he can take that in many directions. Kundun has an entirely different feel than Powaqqatsi. It is meditative, while Powaqqatsi is like a celebration of life. I own two Glass albums now, and now it seems likely that I'll own three (the Glass/Shankar collaboration looks appealing). I wouldn't have been able to fathom that a year ago.

Like Tibet:moving,haunting,enlightening..........1999-12-16

A film score like this comes around very rarely-Philip Glass''Kundun'is so powerful and inspired that one may wonder whether the music generated the brilliant movie or the other way around.However, I believe that this soundtrack is quite satisfying on its own;one does not really have to see the film in order to be moved by such a marvelous piece of work.

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