Tina Guo – Wonder Woman (Single Review)
I love music, but I’ve never been one for the classical kind. That was until I discovered Grammy-nominated cellist and composer, Tina Guo.
Guo has been making a name for herself as one of the industry’s best for a number of years now. Whether with other artists or solo, her work has appeared in numerous film scores and her unique classical-crossover style, such as that featured in 2015’s Cello Metal record, has gained the attention of her superiors, fellow musicians and composers alike.
Earlier this year, she was nominated for a Grammy for her collaborative New Age album, Inner Passion, with pianist Peter Kater. A few months ago, she also celebrated the release of her own music instrument line, Tina Guo Strings. Currently, she is on a world tour with Hans Zimmer, who departed Australia just a few weeks ago after a series of highly successful dates.
I came across Guo’s latest solo album, Game On (2017), purely by chance, and decided to give it a go. While I will always prefer my music with vocals and lyrics that tell a story, Guo’s interpretation of the classical music genre, particularly in an album which sees her reinterpret well known video game themes, really had me looking at things in a whole new light.
So, when her new single, Wonder Woman was released in anticipation of the new film hitting Australian cinemas very soon, I couldn’t not give it a listen, despite the fact that the interpretation will not appear on the official soundtrack.
Even if, like myself, you don’t know much about classical music, there’s a power in this song that draws you in. Backed by Zimmer and his band, you just know it’s going to be good, but Guo’s efforts on the cello give it an epic quality you can’t ignore.
From start to finish, she is seemingly note perfect, with the arrangement starting out eerily, slow and mysterious before building into what can only be described as a crescendo of beautiful music as the story of Wonder Woman meets its peak in this iconic theme.
Tina Guo is one musician who has the ability to make music universal, regardless of genre preference. This latest single is further proof of her versatility as an artist. Now that I’ve found her, I can’t wait to hear what else she has in store.
[Editor/Author Note: The music video for this single is also pretty incredible. Watch it here.]
More from Jackie Smith
The musical examples of Guo’s you mention listening to has nothing to do with classical music, even though it is played on the cello. Bach and Elgar is ‘classical music’, which Guo does play as a sideline (very well I might add).
Thanks for visiting, Allyson. I appreciate your comments. As I said, I am not well-versed in classical music, and much of Tina Guo’s music does have that classical twist to it, which is what I was referencing. She was featured in Women of Classical Music Vol. 1 and categorised as a classical musician in iTunes, even though her latest works are not strictly classical (i.e. compositions by Bach or Elgar, that you refer to).
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