A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

The critically-acclaimed The Notebook tells the story of an old woman, suffering from Alzheimer's, whose husband reads her accounts of their happy days together when younger.  It's a simple but effective concept and the movie benefited from good performances - as youngsters the couple are played by Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, and in later life by James Garner and Gena Rowlands.  Providing the score was newcomer Aaron Zigman, writing only his second score for a full-length movie - and doing a very fine job of it.

The album opens with the main title piece, a tender and touching piano theme which is tinged with nostalgia and sadness, wonderfully summing up the movie; this is later further developed in the excellent "Noah's Journey".  Perhaps the real highlight of the album is the lengthy "Overture" (which rather oddly is the second track) with a sweeping, rousing, dazzlingly beautiful theme which sometimes echoes John Barry, though probably goes bigger than he would have done.  This style is certainly not the predominant one, however, with the gentle, anguish-laden tone set up in the opening track the dominant factor.  It's (dare I say) haunting music, emotional and beautifully (and appropriately) restrained.

Alongside Zigman's fine score, which runs for about 35 minutes plus an 8-minute source cue composer by him, come various period standards by the likes of Bille Holiday and Duke Ellington which work reasonably well alongside the score (surprisingly so, in fact) but remove much of its impact and to get the emotional effect Zigman intended they must be programmed out.  Otherwise, this is an impressive album, released by New Line Records in the States and, as a result of their new partnership, Silva Screen in Europe.  Recommended.

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Tracks

1. Main Title (2:49)
2. Overture (6:16)
3. I'll Be Seeing You Billie Holiday (3:33)
4. Alabamy Home Duke Ellington (3:02)
5. Allie Returns (5:06)
6. House Blues / The Porch Dance / The Proposal / The Carnival (8:03)
7. Noah's Journey (6:02)
8. Always and Always Benny Goodman (3:17)
9. A String of Pearls Glenn Miller (3:15)
10. On the Lake (5:39)
11. Diga Diga Doo Rex Stewart and the Ellingtonians (4:16)
12. One O'Clock High Benny Goodman (3:14)
13. I'll Be Seeing You Jimmy Durante (3:12)
14. Noah's Last Letter (4:32)
15. Our Love can do Miracles (4:30)