Twin Spirits

The tragic love between composer Robert Schumann and his wife, pianist Clara Wieck, is the inspiration for this stage production conceived and directed by John Caird that melds music, narration, and dramatic recitation into a surprisingly skillful and affecting whole. The outline of the relationship, which was temporarily derailed by Clara's father, is provided by narrator Derek Jacobi in this 2007 performance from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Extended passages from the letters the couple exchanged and entries from their diaries are arranged in roughly chronological order and read by rock star Sting and his wife, actress Trudie Styler. Complementing the verbal passages are musical selections (most composed by Robert and Clara) performed by singers and instrumentalists whose division into female and male ensembles represents the couple's long separation. The music reflects the mood of the related passages, with sensitive performances by vocalists Simon Keenlyside and Rebecca Evans, pianists Iain Burnside and Natasha Paremski, violinist Sergej Krylov, and cellist Natalie Clein. Caird has integrated the varied elements into a haunting account of a romance that saw more than its share of both joy and sadness. The performers are uniformly excellent; whatever doubts one might have about the casting of Sting are dispelled by his thoughtful, engaging delivery, and if his presence attracts a larger audience, that's all to the good. DVD extras include a documentary on the Schumanns, a chronology of the subjects, a conversation between Caird and the cast, a featurette on the educational work of the Royal Opera House, and a photo gallery. Presented in DTS 5.1 and LPCM stereo on DVD and PCM 5.0 and 2.0 on Blu-ray, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)