Mao's Last Dancer
In addition to composing music for Mao's Last Dancer and previous films, Christopher Gordon has had extensive experience in arranging music by other composers. Add to this his skills as a Conductor and one gets the impression that Gordon is quite the musician.
The soundtrack to Mao's Last Dancer (based on the autobiographical story of ballet dancer Cunxin Li), is divided into sections representing different parts of Li's life, from his childhood and early training in China to his eventual return to his homeland.
It also includes an intermediary section of four tracks from popular Ballet scores. But aside from this small cluster of pieces, all tracks have been composed by Gordon specifically for the film.
There are not only dramatic cues, but also pieces that sound characteristically Chinese, and not only evoke the main character's cultural origins, but make for delightful listening in and of themselves.
Many other talented musicians were involved in creating this score: most notably, perhaps, pianist Simon Tedeschi. (Credit to Sony, for outlining the musicians whose performances are featured on the CD).