樂曲解說

The melody of “A Theme to Once Upon a Time in China” is arranged from the ancient Pipa repertoire “Chiang Chun Ling” (means General’s command.) The piece was dedicated to the same title 1991 kung-fu film. Originally sung by Cantonese singer George Lam Tsz Cheung, with each character of the text corresponding to single note, the libretto technique reveals the song with a masculine character. And the nationalism sense of the song also impels the audiences. Therefore, the piece had become a huge hit and the most iconic soundtrack among kung-fu movies. The arrangement is adapted to concert band by Japanese composer Hiko Hatano.