You just might learn a thing or two from Sting’s new film Twin Spirits. Sting slips sneakily back into the role of teacher to educate the casual music enthusiast about classical music through his portrayal of the 19th century German composer Robert Schumann. This unique movie plays out like a Broadway musical with theatrical performances by Sting and his wife Trudie Styler, who plays Robert Schumann’s wife Clara Wieck, along with a cast including two opera singers, four classical instrumentalists and a narrator. The film depicts the courtship, love and marriage of composer Robert Schumann and pianist Clara Wieck, two famous romantic-era musicians whose lives and artistry are passionately intertwined to form the dramatic narrative.

The story is told through the reading of actual letters written between Robert and Clara over an extended period of time before their marriage, and afterwards by a marriage journal they diligently kept to record their lives together as husband and wife. In contrast to these readings, interpreted vividly by Sting and Trudie Styler, the instrumentalists perform classical music composed by Robert and Clara Schumann to set the proper mood for the drama enfolding in their lives and relationship, sometimes to the accompaniment of the opera singers. And there is plenty of drama to hold the viewer’s attention, including an overprotective father, forbidden love, secret meetings, lawsuits, obsession, mental illness, and attempted suicide. A narrator adds commentary between the readings and music to help pull the whole fascinating story together.

This is a no-frills performance focusing solely on the character development of Robert and Clara as individuals and as a couple, and how their passionate relationship affects their music and artistry. There is no scenery to speak of, no stage props, no costume changes, and no special effects. Approximately half of the 90-minute film is devoted to letter readings and narrative shown primarily through close-up shots, while the other half is devoted to the performance of classical music. All of the singing is performed in the German language, while the readings and narrative are in English with subtitles provided. And Sting does not perform musically in any manner, either by playing an instrument or singing. Those who cannot tolerate listening to classical music for any length of time should steer clear of this film, as the performance of Schumann’s compositions by the instrumental and vocal ensemble is extensive.

With no formal classical training and merely an appreciation for all forms of music, I enjoyed Twin Spirits for the opportunity to learn more about Robert and Clara Schumann and the various struggles these prodigies faced to create and perform works of musical genius. As a fan of Sting, I also enjoyed seeing Sting and wife Trudie Styler work together on an artistic project retelling a beautiful and tragic love story. Those with expertise in the field of classical music might possibly object to the focus on affairs of the heart and the manipulation of classical music to evoke drama within the story.

While Robert and Clara Schumann were likened to twin spirits based on their shared passion for music, I couldn’t help but note the dichotomy of various elements presented in Twin Spirits: words versus music, man versus woman, individual versus couple, composer versus pianist, genius versus madness, life versus death. And ultimately after watching this film, I was left with sadness over the self-fulfilling prophecy of Robert Schumann’s obsession with death at an early age and respect for Clara Schumann’s lifelong devotion to the memory of her husband and the legacy of his music.