When composer Carlos Rafael Rivera joined Lessons in Chemistry, the tone of the score was not fully realized yet. “When I came on, the idea that was proposed was to take something very against the time and the tone of the story,” he says. “It wasn’t really working, but the experience itself was good because a lot of the sounds that emanated from that failed experiment kind of turned into the actual fabric of the score, which on the front has piano and orchestra, but all those found sounds and electronic and synthesized sounds are really there.”
After dismissing the idea of “playing against type”, the score became a tool to enhance the “heavy lifting” done by the story. “Music didn’t need to be doing anything that was against type, it was just supposed to support the story because it was being really well told, it was beautifully shot, beautifully directed, beautifully acted,” he says. “Music was there to support and be one more element along with the costume designs, which were just incredible, the set designs, which were incredible, so I just wanted to make sure I belonged in some way.”
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The story of Lessons in Chemistry takes place in the 1950s, where the brilliant Elizabeth Zott (Brie Larson) finds her dream of being taken seriously as a scientist constantly challenged by society. After she finds herself pregnant, she accepts a job as the host of a TV cooking show to teach more than just recipes to overlooked housewives. The series has received 10 Emmy nominations, including two for Carlos Rafael Rivera in the categories for Outstanding Music Composition and Main Title Theme Music.
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A major aspect of focusing on the story was to create a melody for Elizabeth, which was difficult for such a complex character. “She’s a very complex character that emanates from a very difficult life, a very difficult childhood and early adulthood that kind of affected who she is and the person we get to meet,” he says. “Melody for a character like Elizabeth really turned out to be something that was based on a life that was going to unexpected places constantly. But the idea of going these different directions and meandering was kind of something I started to realize felt like it worked and felt like it made sense.”
Although the theme music for the main title was written to reflect Elizabeth’s life, Rivera says the heart of it lies in her connection to Calvin. “It’s interesting because I started writing it about their relationship, but it’s turned out to be more like it belonged to Calvin, or any time Calvin is a part of the story, and they were very much simpatico to each other. They both had an obsession with chemistry, and they both had very difficult moments trying to deal with society… They both just didn’t belong.”
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