#15: MIX: KANJINCHO REVISITED (a shadow magic fanmix)
a note
I read Shadow Magic while listening to a bunch of different soundtracks, mainly from Chinese and Korean movies, and those film scores ended up becoming integral to the way I imagined a lot of the scenes, especially those from Kouje and Mamoru's journey. This isn't so much a fanmix as it is my personal soundtrack to the book, really; I thought I'd arrange some of the tracks into some semblance of coherence and share them with you guys, on the off chance that someone else might perhaps have a similar response to it. :D
The music in this mix comes from the soundtracks of The Battle of Red Cliff, The King and the Clown, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero, but I do hope the themes and motifs don't remind people too much of the films! I've also taken the liberty of renaming them, although their original titles are still reflected.
If you haven't read the book, there may be SPOILERS in the track listing, &c, so proceed with caution. :D Lastly, you can find out about Kanjinchō on wikipedia.
Enjoy! ♥
Kanjincho Revisited (a Shadow Magic fanmix)
Tracks
01. Iseul Ascends
...he lifted his hand - an emperor making his decision. I scarcely had time to marvel at the completeness of my brother's transformation, as through he'd been living all his life on its cusp. (5)
♦Decision for Justice (The Battle of Red Cliff) - Taro Iwashiro; Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony
02. Treason and Flight
I knew then why I had felt the heaviness in the air as an approaching thunderstorm, for now I was surely a man trapped in the very heat of it... (41)
♦In the Old Temple (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) - Tan Dun; Shanghai Symphony Orchestra & Yo-Yo Ma
03. The Will of Emperors
Then the other man spoke.
"Who can fathom the will of emperors?" (64)
♦Am I the King or Not? (The King and the Clown) - Lee Byeong-Woo
04. Road to Honganje
Sometime in the endless night, I heard Mamoru whisper, "Have we chosen the proper course?"
I had no answer for him, and said nothing. Soon enough, he fell asleep. (73)
♦Hill of the Refugees (The Battle of Red Cliff) - Taro Iwashiro; Toyko Metropolitan Symphony
05. Of Rabbits and Catfish
"It was the size of my arm!" Mamoru cried, looking about with wild eyes. It seemed cruel to mock him, when he was so clearly apprehensive, but the words were out before I could stop them.
"Your arms aren't very big, Mamoru." (132)
♦Are you over there? I am over here. (The King and the Clown) - Lee Byeong-Woo
06. To the Border Crossing
"Well", he said, after a moment's pause, beginning to pull his hair back into a clumsy braid. "Let us attempt the border crossing." (142)
♦Tricky Mischief (The Battle of Red Cliff) - Taro Iwashiro; Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony
07. Kouje's Wrath
It was a side of Kouje I'd never seen. I didn't even know how to stop him - after all, in the crowd that had formed, I couldn't even use his real name without giving us away. (182)
♦The Yell of Jang-Seng (The King and the Clown) - Lee Byeong-Woo
08. The Entertainers' Caravan
Their caravan bore colorful markings, though as it approached I could see that the red paint was fading in places and one spiralling purple curlicue had all but flaked off. (221)
♦To the South (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) - Tan Dun; Shanghai Symphony Orchestra & Yo-Yo Ma
09. Mamoru
That was why his people loved him... The Ke-Han people had made him into a hero simply because to them he was one. (268)
♦Longing (Hero) - Tan Dun; China Philharmonic Orchestra & Itzhak Perlman
10. Kanjincho
Surely he had a reason.
The willow branch sliced into the rough cloth at my elbow and tore it. Blood had been drawn, and I was not the only one to know it. (294)
♦Plea (The King and the Clown) - Lee Byeong-Woo
11. Benkei's Anguish
My arm should rot away as we walked for what it had done.
I should wake in the morning to discover it had turned to snakes, writhing beside me. (298)
♦The Fury of Jang-Seng (The King and the Clown) - Lee Byeong-Woo
12. Fever (The Journey to Dragon Country)
Even the horse sensed our troubles, and he was restless in the sunlight. I soothed both beast and my lord with alternating hands, let Mamoru drink from a skin dangerously low on water, while the horse whinnied in chastisement. (308)
♦Desert Capriccio (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) - Tan Dun; Shanghai Symphony Orchestra & Yo-Yo Ma
13. Bringing Down the Palace
"Then, General Alcibiades, Lord Temur," she explained, quick as you like, and her blue eyes hard and pretty as jewelry, "you will cause the distraction that gives us cover to escape."
"I figured as much," I said. (338)
♦Beat On the Battle (The Battle of Red Cliff) - Taro Iwashiro; Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony
14. To Kill an Emperor
"Enough," Iseul said, striding past me and into the courtyard. "You have stated your objectives, General Alcibiades. You wish to kill an Emperor. In my court, men die for such treasons." (377)
♦Night Fight (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) - Tan Dun; Shanghai Symphony Orchestra & Yo-Yo Ma
15. Denouement
"Is it time already?" I wondered.
"I believe so, my lord."
I stood, and the weight of the fabric was heavy against my shoulders. That weight too would take some getting used to, but it would serve as a reminder until then; it would teach me how, as an emperor, I was meant to walk. (382)
♦Precious One (The Battle of Red Cliff) - Taro Iwashiro; Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony
16. A Hero and A Boy
♦A Hero and A Boy (The Battle of Red Cliff) - Taro Iwashiro; Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony
download the rar file here
download individual tracks on box.net