M. Butterfly (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

by Jason Ankeny The most atypical and sublimely beautiful of Howard Shore's myriad collaborations with filmmaker David Cronenberg. Though inspired by the opera that is the source material for Cronenberg's feature, M. Butterfly largely eschews traditional Chinese music in favor of delicate, textured melodies characterized by their uncommon restraint. Employing feather-light strings, woodwinds, and harp, the music boasts a natural simplicity far removed from the bleak, foreboding electronics that characterize Shore's best-known efforts but retains the formal innovation and atmospheric mastery that are his hallmarks.