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A Dangerous Method: (Howard Shore/Richard Wagner)
By comparison to many of director David Cronenberg's movies, the 2011
psychological drama
A Dangerous Method is relatively "normal."
Its plot, inspired by John Kerr's 1993 book and a 2002 stage adaptation,
uses explorations of early modern psychiatry to frame a love triangle
involving famed Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung and his beautiful young
Russian patient, Sabina Spielrein, played by Keira Knightley. As Jung
attempts to cure her of her bouts with hysteria, he carries on an affair
with her, attempting to balance his comfortable family existence with
his fascination with his patient. Eventually stepping into the fray is
his colleague, Sigmund Freud, who served as a mentor to both real life
figures (Spielrein went on to her own successful psychiatric career).
The acting-centric film was targeted initially at film festivals but was
later distributed widely in hopes of drumming up support during the late
2011 awards season. The soundtrack for
A Dangerous Method is a
particularly relevant influence on the plot of the movie because of a
shared admiration for the music of Richard Wagner by Jung and Spielrein.
Their mutual obsession with Wagner's "Ring" cycle operas is partly the
genesis of their affair, and despite their shared preference for the
first opera in the cycle, "Das Rheingold," the third one, "Siegfried,"
is the source of much of the action. Spielrein's obsession with the
story of "Siegfried" encourages her to, as Cronenberg states, "have a
sinful relationship with Jung and then give birth to this hero, this
heroic Siegfried." In the process of embodying their "intellectual
passions," the director continues, "they could very easily see
themselves being characters in a Wagnerian opera." The job of
Cronenberg's usual collaborator, composer Howard Shore, was to adapt
Wagner's material from the famed opera into the context of a
semi-original score. As expected, a fair amount of "Siegfried" informs
Shore's resulting music. "It follows the opera in terms of its overall
structure," Shore explained. "I used the bones, if you will, of the
opera to create the structure and the arc of the music." The composer
chose "Siegfried Idyll" to specifically represent the loving
relationships that Jung was attempting to maintain, reflecting the
purpose behind the composition of the piece by Wagner. The most widely
advertised aspect of the soundtrack is a 32-minute performance of
"Siegfried Idyll" by renown Chinese concert pianist Lang Lang, arranged
by Shore for applications as necessary for the tender side of the affair
and Jung's character (though the pianist does not perform those duties
in the score itself).
Ultimately, and not particularly surprisingly, it is
Wagner that defines the score for
A Dangerous Method rather than
Shore's own sensibilities. You do hear material by the German composer
filtered through Shore's often brooding lens on several occasions, and
Shore's original thematic idea for the score is the highlight of the
fresh material. While "Siegfried Idyll" serves as the secondary melodic
identity in
A Dangerous Method, its soft piano tones don't
introduce the theme until "Siegfried." Thereafter, Shore utilizes the
piece frequently, translating it to light orchestra shades in "End of
the Affair" and more agonizing blends of solo piano and tortured strings
in the duo of "Something Unforgivable" and "Reflection" at the
conclusion. It's not uncommon to hear influences from other Wagner works
(and even brief phrases from additional classical composers) elsewhere,
and the entirety of the score is meant to fit seamlessly into the
classical genre rather than that of traditional film scores. That said,
Shore's own theme for the darker portions of
A Dangerous Method,
and likely Spielrein's frightening explosions more specifically, is
closer to home for collectors of his own music. The ominous ten-note
theme is immediately expressed in "Burgholzli" and features cyclical
progressions that strongly emphasize the key note. Shore's trademark
deep woodwinds and piano tones during this cue, "Miss Spielrein," and
"Reflection" will be the melodramatic highlights of the score for film
music enthusiasts, the latter half of "Burgholzli" featuring some
extremely aggressive ensemble force that is never again matched in the
work. As Spielrein is cured of her hysteria, Shore progressively tapers
back this theme, beginning with the restrained variation heard in
"Carriage." This theme is eventually supplanted by the "Siegfried Idyll"
melody, relegating the previous main theme to occasional ghostly
reminders on strings in several cues before a concert suite-like
resurrection of the idea at the outset of "Reflection." Outside of the
laborious performance of "Siegfried Idyll" by Lang Lang to conclude the
album, that presentation of the score only exists for half of the
product's running time. Despite its short length, the score becomes
rather redundant after the first two tracks, however, making it better
suited for enthusiasts of Wagner and the classical realm in general.
Shore did an admirable job of adapting the appropriate Wagner references
into the score, as well as the short passages that remind of other
classical sources ("Only One God" has a particularly German tone), but
be careful when approaching the score if you seek an overwhelmingly
original or satisfyingly redemptive narrative. Even if you love both the
Wagner source and Shore's inherent darkness, don't expect the classical
beauty of the combined sum to outshine the stark, gloomy tone of that
overarching demeanor.
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is 3.43 (in 23 reviews)
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