Tian Xia Wu Shuang (天下无双) - (A love) Unparalleled Under the Sky

This is one of the many songs I came to love and cherished very much. It is actually a theme song or original soundtrack of one of my favorite Chinese drama... a wuxia drama, "Return of the Condor Heroes 2006". A considerable large scale production by a film production.

The combination of breathtaking natural sceneries in China coupled with smart play of CGI and also not forgetting a dashing main actor with an equally beautiful and ethereal looking main actress has cause this production to be very well received indeed. In fact, I was preeettty crazy about it. I watched and rewatched it so many times that I had literary lost count of how many times I succumbed to its charm. LOL. And YES, I did ogle at the suave main actor to my heart's content. He has got the most infectious smile I’ll tell you.

Okay that's that, now back to this particular soundtrack. This is the intro soundtrack for this drama. I am so drawn to it by the sad and sweet voice of the singer telling an equally sad story of an undying, faithful and sincere love filled with trial and tribulations.

Here’s the lyrics in Chinese and Pinyin as well as the translations to it:

天下无双 - Tian Xia Wu Shuang - (A love) unparalleled under the sky

sung by Jane Zhang Jing Ying ( 张靓颖 )

穿越红尘的悲欢惆怅
(chuan yue hong chen de bei huan chou chang)
Going through across life's sadness and happiness

和你贴心的流浪
(he ni tie xin de liy lang)
With you as a close companion, (we) wandered around

刺透遍野的青山和荒凉
(ci tou bian ye de qin shan he huang liang)
Piercing through horizons of remote mountains

有你的梦伴着花香飞翔
(he ni de meng ban zhe hua xiang fei xiang)
Dreamt of you flying with fragrant flowers

今生因你痴狂此爱天下无双
(jin sheng yin ni zhi kuang) (ci ai tian xia wu shuang)
Devotion to you in this life, (my) love is unparalleled

剑的影子水的波光
(jin de ying zi , shui de bo guang)
A sword's shadow, water's ripples

只是过往是过往
(zhi shi guo wang shi guo wang)
Just passing by, just passing by

今生因你痴狂此爱天下无双啊 .......
(jin sheng yin ni chi kuang) (ci ai tian xia wu shuang)
Devotion to you in this life, (my) love is unparalleled

如果还有贴心的流浪
(ru guo hai you tie xin de liu lang)
If there is still a companion to wander with

枯萎了容颜难以忘难遗忘 ........
(gu wei le rong yan nan yi wang ... nan yi wang)
A withered facet is hard to forget, hard to forget

Well, I do hope you all enjoy it as much as I do. Please do not hesitate to share your thoughts on it.

Here's some beautiful pictures to appease you visually :P

Note: I actually did this post for my VOX Lyrics Translation Group. Then I thought it would be good to post it here too for the enjoyment of others who love this song also.

Pachelbel's Canon in D Variations

A collection of Pachelbel's Canon in D variations. Hope you would all enjoy it as much as I do. Frankly speaking, some of it blew me away ;) Didn't know Canon could have so much of attitude in it... just listen to the Canon Grooves, Canon Techno, Canon Rock and so many others listed here.



Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I do. I AM a crazed Pachelbel's Canon fan. Hooyah!

Oh yea, do check out this site/blog, Tribute to Pachelbel. There are many different versions of Canon arrangements listed here.




Current Mood: Joyful and Thankful

Current Distractions: Of late, I've been busy hopping around my IMEEM & DEVIANT ART playground.

Other Musings: How many sites does a gal gotta have? I've quite lost count of mine :P No wonder I am so distracted at times. Ahahahaha. Dunno what got into me that I've gotten myself a FRIENDSTER account too. Yeesh!!! Actually someone invited me to be a member, and I kind of follow the lead... one thing leads to the next and lot behold another site to care for :P I am still not sure if I am gonna be maintaining it tho.

Lascia Ch'io Pianga - Air de Almirena {Rinaldo} - (Farinelli Il Castrato)

This aria, Lascia Ch'io Pianga sung in Farinelli Il Castrato was my personal favorite piece. I fell in love with it instantaneously. No matter how many times I had listened to it, I just wouldn't get tired of it. It's like each time I hear it, fresh emotion was evoked. This aria is deliciously painful and sad. Yet... I am loving every second of it. Welcoming the pain as it floods my mind and body, torturing my soul. I felt connected to it somehow... to the cries of the singer, as I too longed to be free again someday. This aria is like an emotional release for my soul.

• See my previous blog post on this endearing film here.

Actually I really like the whole soundtrack of this film. Especially these few arias:

1. Ombra Fedele Anch'io - Air de Dario (Idaspe)
2. Alto Giove - Air d'Acio (Polifemo)
3. Cara Sposa - Air de Rinaldo (Rinaldo)
4. Generoso Risuegliati O Core - Air de Poro (Cleofide)

• Visit my collection on Farinelli Il Castrato here.

Here's the lyrics and its translation for Lascia Ch'io Pianga:

Lyrics
Lascia ch'io pianga
mia cruda sorte,
E che sospiri la libertà!
E che sospiri,
e che sospiri la libertà!
Lascia ch'io pianga mia cruda sorte,
E che sospiri la libertà!

Il duolo infranga
queste ritorte
de miei martiri
sol per pietà,
de miei martiri
sol per pietà.
Lascia ch'io pianga
mia cruda sorte,
E che sospiri la libertà!
E che sospiri,
e che sospiri la libertà!
Lascia ch'io pianga mia cruda sorte,
E che sospiri la libertà!



Translation
Let me weep over
my cruel fate,
And that I long for freedom!
And that I long,
and that I long for freedom!
Let me weep
over my cruel fate,
And that I long for freedom!

The duel infringes
these images
of my sufferings
I pray for mercy.
for my sufferances.
I pray for mercy.
Let me weep
over my cruel fate,
And that I long for freedom!
And that I long,
and that I long for freedom!
Let me weep
over my cruel fate,
And that I long for freedom!

*************************************************************************************

Infomation on this this aria which I found on the net.

Lascia ch'io pianga

from Act II, Scene 2 of the Italian opera, Rinaldo by George Frideric Handel

Libretto : Aaron Hill, translated into Italian by Giacomo Rossi

* Role : Almirena, daughter of Goffredo

* Voice Part : soprano Fach : lyric coloratura

* Setting : a garden in Argante's palace, , , during the Crusades

* Range : F4 to G5. Tessitura : G4 to F5

* Synopsis : Almirena has been abducted by the sorceress Armida and imprisoned in the palace. She laments her fate.

* This aria appears in both Handel's first and second versions of the opera. The range listed is for the first version of the opera.

Visit Aria-Database for more info.

Interesting facts about this soundtrack:

As none of our current era contemporary singers can sing like Farinelli. Who has a wide vocal range (over 4 octaves) and a massive lung capacity to produce 250 notes in a single breath. Producers of this movie had to use a process called sound morphing to blend both a soprano and a countertenor voices into a single voice to create this magnificent singing voice of Farinelli.

If you are interested to learn more on how it was done, please visit SONY Classics.