Forget the absurdity of making a movie on the back of the story of Paul Potts (who won the first series (2007) of Britain's Got Talent). I think, pretty much, his tale is identical to every single person who as ever won a talent competition in the history of the universe. Think Billy Elliot... but set in Wales... just replace ballet with opera. Julie Walters even stars in both movies...

So why is Potts so different to anyone else? Actually it's not important, nor should you care. Forget the movie and instead focus on this rather splendid soundtrack which, through the power of mass appeal, allows the general populace to be introduced to opera without them actually realising that they are being exposed to what most feel is an elitist medium.

There's been many attempts to bring opera into the mainstream media, but it's still seen as a cliquey, upper class form of entertainment. So, it's probably not a huge surprise that this score throws in a selection of opera music tracks that almost everyone already knows. From the opening 'Nessun Dorma' made famous after the BBC used Pavarotti's recording as its theme for the TV coverage of the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, to 'O Sole Mio' (Mario Lanza) best known to most Brits as the 'Cornetto theme' thanks to it being bastardised for a series of Walls Cornetto TV and cinema ads which ran for over a decade in the '80s and '90s.

But what is surprising is that most of the tracks are lesser known to most people - which should expose more people to the beauty that is opera.

Highlights include 'Nella Fantasia' (Paul Potts), song based on Ennio Morricone 'Gabriel's Oboe' from the 1986 movie The Mission; II Divo's interpretation of 'Time to Say Goodbye (Con Te Partirò)', first sang in Italy in 1995 by Andrea Bocelli, but more famously for his 1996 rerelease with Sarah Brightman; and 'Arrivederci Roma' Vittorio Grigolo's interpretation of the 1955 song from the film Arrivederci Roma.

The final three tracks feel a little strange. When listened to in context to the other tracks. 'Sweeter Than Fiction' (Taylor Swift) is a bouncy, teen pop track. 'And Moment of Truth' and 'Venice' are Theodore Shapiro's original compositions for the movie, performed by the London Session Orchestra. In truth, I would have loved to have heard more of Shapiro's music.

It's not important whether you have seen the movie, what we have here is an introduction to the world of opera for those who would usually shy away from it.

Track listing:

01 - 'Nessun Dorma' - Paul Potts
02 - 'Nella Fantasia' - Paul Potts
03 - 'Vesti la Giubba (from I Paggliacci) - Paul Potts
04 - 'E Lucevan le Stell' - Paul Potts
05 - 'Ich liebe Dich' - Paul Potts
06 - 'Time to Say Goodbye (Con Te Partirò)' - Il Divo
07 - 'I. Allegro con brio' - Bruno Walter
08 - 'Celeste aida' (from Aida) - Paul Potts
09 - 'Farewell to Earth' - Paul Potts, Kylie Watt
10 - 'Introitus: Kyrie' - Sir Colin Davis, Marjana Lipovsek, Angela Maria Blasi, Uwe Heilmann and Jan-Hendrik Rootering
11 - 'Arrivederci Roma' - Vittorio Grigolo
12 - 'O sole mio' - Mario Lanza
13 - 'Che gelida manina' from La Bohème - Paul Potts
14 - ' O soave fanciulla' - Paul Potts, Kylie Watt
15 - 'Sweeter Than Fiction' - Taylor Swift
16 - 'Moment of Truth' - London Session Orchestra
17 - 'Venice' - London Session Orchestra

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Darren Rea