Albert NobbsVarese Sarabande *****

Although he has composed a couple of film scores and orchestrated several more, Brian Byrne's score for Glenn Close's directorial debut, Albert Nobbs, has already boosted his career as a scorer – particularly with Lay Your Head Down, his Oscar-nominated ditty with Sinéad O'Connor. His mischievous and melancholic score is also very good, as it glides effortlessly from exuberant waltz and giddy quadrille to tender moments of pathos and loss, resolving its central character's elusive theme in an elegiac finale. With its masterly control of mood (particularly the evocative instrumental colours of harp and harpsichord) and its exquisitely dynamic orchestration, Albert Nobbs is a highly accomplished and superior score, at once dramatic and lyrical, which packs a hefty emotional punch behind its formal playfulness. colosseum.de

Download tracks: Albert Counting Money, Helen's Theme, Albert Nobbs Finale