"While this soundtrack is very solid overall, it's also rather subdued and perhaps not as immediately likable as composer Alexandre Desplat's previous offerings (most notably The Queen and Syriana), so it could disappoint fans of the immensely gifted Frenchman. But a certain old-fashioned charm does operate after a while, which, after all, is exactly what you'd expect of the music for a movie based on a Somerset Maugham novel. Desplat set out to evoke 1920s romanticism with a series of brief vignettes, usually greatly enhanced by the sensitive playing of pianist Lang Lang. And considering that most of the movie takes place in China, Desplat has refrained from easy orientalism: "Walter's Mission" is one of the few tracks to allude to Asian sounds. The only non-original tracks on the CD is Erik Satie's well-known "Gnossienne No. 1," a slow piece that evidently served as inspiration for Desplat's own "River Waltz." But who's complaining? There are worse people to emulate than Satie." - Elisabeth Vincentelli

1. The Painted Veil
2. Gnossienne No. 1
3. Colony Club
4. River Waltz
5. Kitty's Theme
6. Death Convoy
7. The Water Wheel
8. The Lovers
9. Promenade
10. Kitty's Journey
11. The Deal
12. Walter's Mission
13. The Convent
14. River Waltz (Piano Solo)
15. Morning Tears
16. Cholera
17. The End of Love
18. The Funeral
19. From Shanghai To London