{proof}

I rather imagined Proof as a thriller of some sort, but it's another of the Beautiful Mind style depictions of the inner turmoil that being a scientific or mathematical genius can bring. Surprisingly, it's from the director of the rather overrated, Shakespeare in Love and the rather less successful Captain Corelli's Mandolin. What is less surprising is that director Madden has kept on board his Oscar winning composer, Stephen Warbeck. If reviews suggest that Madden got lucky with Shakespeare in Love then the same probably goes for Warbeck as, outside from a few choice moments, it was hardly a great score. Unlike the lush romance of those previous efforts, Proof is minimalist and intimate, with a refreshingly light touch.

The nominal first track opens with a repeated, cool and hypnotic guitar motif, onto which strings are laid. Warbeck curbs his tendency to lay on his string writing too thickly and avoids the kind of sludgy orchestration that makes his scores rather unpalatable at times. The main theme forms over the top of this base and, while not hugely memorable, is a supremely effective counterpoint and moves along nicely upon its pulsing bed. Although it took me some time to realise, the Shakespeare in Love main theme is surprisingly similar in construction - the chugging motif with a longer string melody over the top and, in both cases, the motifs in the underlying pulse are more memorable than the tune itself.

The minimalist approach isn't very strict and several cues are rather low key, notably the shorter ones where, in truth, not a great deal actually happens. They are pleasant enough in a Thomas Newman kind of way, but without much in the way of Newman's ingenious harmony or orchestration. Fortunately, the longer cues take elements of Shearmur's K-Pax, the inevitable Michael Nyman or Philip Glass and perhaps a little Ennio Morricone, notably the jabbing string intrusions. Unfortunately, each appearance of this material is rather similar and almost all of the score's material appears in the lengthy final cue (easily the best on the disc in variety and development) which, ultimately, is the biggest disappointment. Not that the album outstays its welcome, but a little more variety wouldn't have gone amiss.