Hero: Original Soundtrack

The score was composed by Chinese composer Tan Dun, who combined Western symphonic orchestration with traditional Chinese instruments. The soundtrack features solo violin work by acclaimed violinist Itzhak Perlman, whose performances anchor many of the score's emotional themes. Tan Dun had previously won acclaim for his work on Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

The soundtrack accompanies Zhang Yimou's 2002 Chinese martial arts film Hero (英雄), starring Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, and Zhang Ziyi. The film became one of the most internationally successful Chinese-language releases of its era. Its color-coded narrative structure is mirrored in Tan Dun's thematically varied score.

The score blends Itzhak Perlman's Western violin solos with traditional Chinese instruments such as the erhu and guqin, alongside full symphony orchestra and operatic vocal elements. Tan Dun also used percussion extensively to drive the film's martial arts sequences. The fusion of Eastern and Western musical traditions was central to the score's design.

Tan Dun's score was widely praised by critics and received several nominations, building on his reputation from the Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon score. The music is frequently cited as one of the outstanding film scores in the wuxia genre. Its combination of orchestral grandeur and Chinese traditional sonorities set a benchmark for martial arts film music.