Thursday, August 5, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
''It's not every former punk rocker who can offer you an intimate, sultry summer's evening by the lake with his favourite orchestra...'' reports the Toronto Star
A reprint from Sting.com
Sting's tunes, with a classical twist...
It's not every former punk rocker who can offer you an intimate, sultry summer's evening by the lake with his favourite orchestra.
But Sting is not your average former punk rocker. In a career that now spans 3½ decades, the son of a Newcastle upon Tyne milkman has shown himself to be an unusually versatile and adventurous musician.
After a recent foray into the 16th-century world of English composer John Dowland, as well as a tour with his old band, the Police, the man once known as Gordon Sumner has organized the ultimate in retrospectives. With a twist.
Sting has ordered up three-dozen orchestral arrangements from his Police and solo catalogues, going back as far as 1977. He is performing two dozen on each stop in a massive North American tour that launched in Vancouver last month.
"This is the biggest band I've ever had in my life," declared a beaming Sting on Friday night, as he stood in front of 45 members of England's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and veteran pop conductor Steven Mercurio, at the Molson Amphitheatre at Ontario Place.
Dressed in a tailored, buttoned-up black jacket for the first half, and comfortable loose white cotton shirt after intermission, Sting was clearly having a great time.
The artful musical arrangements gave the evening a whiff of nostalgia, casting the singer as seasoned balladeer and amiable storyteller. Besides the orchestra, there was able backup vocal help from Jo Lawry and guitarist Dominic Miller, as Sting crooned a wry 'Englishman in New York', 'Roxanne', 'Straight to My Heart', 'When We Dance' and 'Russians', among other favourites.
The moms in the audience - a cross-section of every demographic you can imagine - sang along or screamed as loudly as their daughters and granddaughters might at the sight of Justin Bieber.
Except that this concert came off with infinitely more class.
It is not unusual to see symphonic musicians backing up pop acts such as Josh Groban or Il Divo. But you don't often hear arrangements that take full advantage of all the sounds and textures strings, woodwinds and brass can bring to a concert.
Founded in 1946, the Royal Philharmonic has long made a point of bringing classical music to a broader audience. The 45 members on tour with Sting are only part of the full orchestra, which also plays a season of summer concerts back home.
The sound system at the Molson Amphitheatre was turned down to showcase the orchestra's abilities - except for the one piece, 'Russians', which was meant to showcase its power. Opening with a portentious excerpt from Modest Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov before morphing into a quotation from composer Sergei Prokofiev, the Royal Phil's blasts were cranked up electronically, distorting them beyond recognition.
At other moments, individual clarinet, cello and violin solos were given their full due, with Sting stepping out of the spotlight to give the classical musicians a chance to shine - and rack up substantial cheers from the audience.
© The Toronto Star by John Terauds
Sting's tunes, with a classical twist...
It's not every former punk rocker who can offer you an intimate, sultry summer's evening by the lake with his favourite orchestra.
But Sting is not your average former punk rocker. In a career that now spans 3½ decades, the son of a Newcastle upon Tyne milkman has shown himself to be an unusually versatile and adventurous musician.
After a recent foray into the 16th-century world of English composer John Dowland, as well as a tour with his old band, the Police, the man once known as Gordon Sumner has organized the ultimate in retrospectives. With a twist.
Sting has ordered up three-dozen orchestral arrangements from his Police and solo catalogues, going back as far as 1977. He is performing two dozen on each stop in a massive North American tour that launched in Vancouver last month.
"This is the biggest band I've ever had in my life," declared a beaming Sting on Friday night, as he stood in front of 45 members of England's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and veteran pop conductor Steven Mercurio, at the Molson Amphitheatre at Ontario Place.
Dressed in a tailored, buttoned-up black jacket for the first half, and comfortable loose white cotton shirt after intermission, Sting was clearly having a great time.
The artful musical arrangements gave the evening a whiff of nostalgia, casting the singer as seasoned balladeer and amiable storyteller. Besides the orchestra, there was able backup vocal help from Jo Lawry and guitarist Dominic Miller, as Sting crooned a wry 'Englishman in New York', 'Roxanne', 'Straight to My Heart', 'When We Dance' and 'Russians', among other favourites.
The moms in the audience - a cross-section of every demographic you can imagine - sang along or screamed as loudly as their daughters and granddaughters might at the sight of Justin Bieber.
Except that this concert came off with infinitely more class.
It is not unusual to see symphonic musicians backing up pop acts such as Josh Groban or Il Divo. But you don't often hear arrangements that take full advantage of all the sounds and textures strings, woodwinds and brass can bring to a concert.
Founded in 1946, the Royal Philharmonic has long made a point of bringing classical music to a broader audience. The 45 members on tour with Sting are only part of the full orchestra, which also plays a season of summer concerts back home.
The sound system at the Molson Amphitheatre was turned down to showcase the orchestra's abilities - except for the one piece, 'Russians', which was meant to showcase its power. Opening with a portentious excerpt from Modest Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov before morphing into a quotation from composer Sergei Prokofiev, the Royal Phil's blasts were cranked up electronically, distorting them beyond recognition.
At other moments, individual clarinet, cello and violin solos were given their full due, with Sting stepping out of the spotlight to give the classical musicians a chance to shine - and rack up substantial cheers from the audience.
© The Toronto Star by John Terauds
Saturday, July 31, 2010
''Sting showcases his changing style at Ravinia...'' reports the Chicago Daily Herald
A reprint from Sting.com
Sting showcases his changing style at Ravinia...
If there's one thing a Sting fan is used to, it's change.
From his start as the singer and bassist for The Police, to an ever evolving solo career that has encompassed blues, jazz, reggae, country and even Elizabethan lute music, Sting is nothing if not a Renaissance man.
In this newest incarnation, he replaces the synthesizer with a symphony, appearing at Ravinia Saturday in the first of two sold-out shows pairing with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, conducted with gusto by Steven Mercurio ("the biggest band I ever had," Sting quipped), 'Symphonicity', showcases hits from Sting's career going back as far as 'Roxanne'.
Yet, unlike the Police reunion a few years back, this was no nostalgia act. While the 58-year-old performer drew from all areas of his repertoire, he adapted and reworked the music, allowing the orchestra to seamlessly transform the familiar into something new and fresh.
And while rock music and symphonies don't always make the best marriage, this combination succeeded on a number of levels. Sting's melodies, for starters, have enough depth and richness to stand up to an orchestra. His rendition of 'Russians', for example was full force, dramatic and almost - but not quite - over the top.
Yet, he's flexible enough to let his music be altered as an orchestral treatment. 'Roxanne' was delivered balladlike, slow, subdued and showcased by a cellist.
Dressed in black jeans and a cropped tuxedo jacket, Sting took the stage with his usual "sultry swagger," relaxed and gracious. The highbrow level was definitely toned down from singalongs to a dancing horn section to the playful jumps and flips of Mercurio.
Guitarist Dominic Miller and singer Jo Lawry, Sting stalwarts, also held their own against the backdrop of the orchestra. One of the highlights of the evening was the duet between Sting and Lawry on 'Whenever I Say Your Name' with Lawry's dramatic command of the song a match for Sting.
'King of Pain', while a little bogged down in the beginning, brought the crowd to its feet. He finished the night with 'Every Breath You Take', with encore performances of 'Desert Rose', 'She's Too Good for Me' and 'Fragile', which he dedicated to the victims of the Gulf oil spill disaster, in true Sting style.
© Chicago Daily Herald by Eileen Brown
Sting showcases his changing style at Ravinia...
If there's one thing a Sting fan is used to, it's change.
From his start as the singer and bassist for The Police, to an ever evolving solo career that has encompassed blues, jazz, reggae, country and even Elizabethan lute music, Sting is nothing if not a Renaissance man.
In this newest incarnation, he replaces the synthesizer with a symphony, appearing at Ravinia Saturday in the first of two sold-out shows pairing with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, conducted with gusto by Steven Mercurio ("the biggest band I ever had," Sting quipped), 'Symphonicity', showcases hits from Sting's career going back as far as 'Roxanne'.
Yet, unlike the Police reunion a few years back, this was no nostalgia act. While the 58-year-old performer drew from all areas of his repertoire, he adapted and reworked the music, allowing the orchestra to seamlessly transform the familiar into something new and fresh.
And while rock music and symphonies don't always make the best marriage, this combination succeeded on a number of levels. Sting's melodies, for starters, have enough depth and richness to stand up to an orchestra. His rendition of 'Russians', for example was full force, dramatic and almost - but not quite - over the top.
Yet, he's flexible enough to let his music be altered as an orchestral treatment. 'Roxanne' was delivered balladlike, slow, subdued and showcased by a cellist.
Dressed in black jeans and a cropped tuxedo jacket, Sting took the stage with his usual "sultry swagger," relaxed and gracious. The highbrow level was definitely toned down from singalongs to a dancing horn section to the playful jumps and flips of Mercurio.
Guitarist Dominic Miller and singer Jo Lawry, Sting stalwarts, also held their own against the backdrop of the orchestra. One of the highlights of the evening was the duet between Sting and Lawry on 'Whenever I Say Your Name' with Lawry's dramatic command of the song a match for Sting.
'King of Pain', while a little bogged down in the beginning, brought the crowd to its feet. He finished the night with 'Every Breath You Take', with encore performances of 'Desert Rose', 'She's Too Good for Me' and 'Fragile', which he dedicated to the victims of the Gulf oil spill disaster, in true Sting style.
© Chicago Daily Herald by Eileen Brown
Friday, July 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Symphonicities - artwork and tracklisting details revealed...
From Sting.com
Sting's new album 'Symphonicities', which includes some of his most celebrated songs re-imagined for symphonic arrangement, will be released by Deutsche Grammophon on July 13 and is now available for pre-order from most on-line music stores.
'Symphonicities' is the companion CD to accompany Sting's highly-anticipated world tour, which began on June 2 in Vancouver, featuring the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, conducted by Steven Mercurio (Bocelli, Pavarotti). The new studio album serves as the ultimate commemoration of the live concert experience, with the first single, "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," currently available at all digital retailers including iTunes.
'Symphonicities' was produced by Rob Mathes and Sting and mixed by Elliot Scheiner (Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac) and Claudius Mittendorfer (Interpol, Franz Ferdinand).
'Symphonicities' is the companion CD to accompany Sting's highly-anticipated world tour, which began on June 2 in Vancouver, featuring the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, conducted by Steven Mercurio (Bocelli, Pavarotti). The new studio album serves as the ultimate commemoration of the live concert experience, with the first single, "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," currently available at all digital retailers including iTunes.
'Symphonicities' was produced by Rob Mathes and Sting and mixed by Elliot Scheiner (Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac) and Claudius Mittendorfer (Interpol, Franz Ferdinand).
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Sting & Trudie Styler joined by Joshua Bell in celebration of composer Robert Schumann's 200th birthday at Jazz at Lincoln Center June 30th...
From Sting.com
Culture Project in a special association with Music Unites presents "Twin Spirits" a unique event of music and theater devised and directed for the stage by John Caird featuring Sting as Robert Schumann and Trudie Styler as Clara Weick.
Evening also features musical artists Joshua Bell, Jremy Denk, Nathan Gunn, Natasha Paremski, Camille Zamora, Nina Kotova.
Culture Project (Allan Buchman, Artistic Director) announced today (on the actual date of Robert Schumann's 200th birthday) that it will present a very special New York performance celebrating the 200th birthday of composer Robert Schumann with a special performance of Twin Spirits, an intimate theatrical event devised and directed for the stage by Tony Award-winner John Caird, and featuring Sting, Trudie Styler and Joshua Bell, among other artists, on Thursday, June 30, 7:30 p.m, at The Allen Room at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center on Broadway at 60th Street, New York City. Twin Spirits is a poetic meditation on the passionate relationship between composer Robert Schumann and wife Clara Wieck. Sting joins his wife, actress, producer and philanthropist Trudie Styler to read from the letters between Robert and Clara. Their story is illustrated and interwoven with music composed by Robert - whose spirit will be embodied by pianist Jeremy Denk, baritone Nathan Gunn and violinist Joshua Bell - and by Clara, who is evoked by pianist Natasha Paremski, soprano Camille Zamora, and cellist Nina Kotova.
Continue reading this article here ....
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Watch Sting in Vancouver on Entertainment Tonight...
From Sting.com
Does Sting get stage fright? ET goes backstage before his concert opener in Vancouver to get the answer!
The singer admits that his feelings of excitement are mixed with "a little anxiety."
"This is a big deal for me," he adds. "It's a huge responsibility. At the same time, I'm thrilled - like a kid with a new train set... it's a mixed bag of emotions."
"I think it's important to have a little bit of nerve," he says. "Once I'm on stage, I'm not nervous. But just before you go on, you get that little tingling. I take what I do seriously; I don't take it for granted."
The night perfectly kicked-off his Symphonicity Tour, with the singer performing his most celebrated songs with the Royal Philharmonic.
Watch the videos from Sting.com
The singer admits that his feelings of excitement are mixed with "a little anxiety."
"This is a big deal for me," he adds. "It's a huge responsibility. At the same time, I'm thrilled - like a kid with a new train set... it's a mixed bag of emotions."
"I think it's important to have a little bit of nerve," he says. "Once I'm on stage, I'm not nervous. But just before you go on, you get that little tingling. I take what I do seriously; I don't take it for granted."
The night perfectly kicked-off his Symphonicity Tour, with the singer performing his most celebrated songs with the Royal Philharmonic.
Watch the videos from Sting.com
Monday, June 21, 2010
Sting's 'Symphonicity' dates confirmed in Paris and Nantes and second London show added...
Sting.com announces ....
The Paris and Nantes dates will go on presale to Sting.com members from 10am on June 2 and go on public sale on June 4. There will be a presale for American Express cardholders commencing at 10am on May 31 (from a different hold to the fan club allocation). The additional London date has already gone on public sale but the fan club will be having its own post-sale using an allotment of pre-allocated tickets which will commence at 3pm (Legacy members)/4pm (other members) on 1 June. Members will be limited to two tickets in this presale. The current European schedule is now as follows. All times are local.
Read complete article here ...
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Sting will be appearing on Larry King's "DISASTER IN THE GULF: How You Can Help" telethon on June 21
CNN's Larry King Hosts Special Two Hour Larry King Live Telethon Monday, June 21
Star-Studded Fundraiser Benefits United Way, National Wildlife Federation and The Nature Conservancy Providing Immediate, Direct Support for Families, Residents and Wildlife Affected by Gulf Oil Spill.
Guests Include Justin Bieber, Ted Danson, Cameron Diaz, Kathy Griffin, Chelsea Handler, Randy Jackson, Kerry Kennedy, Lenny Kravitz, Jenny McCarthy, Tim McGraw, Alyssa Milano, Edward James Olmos, Victoria Principal, Robert Redford, Ian Somerhalder, Sting, Melania and Ivanka Trump, Pete Wentz, with Ryan Seacrest Hosting Special Online Social Suite and More.
CNN's Anderson Cooper, Soledad O'Brien, Kyra Phillips and Rob Marciano Report Latest Updates From the Gulf During Live Special.
CNN original Larry King hosts a special two-hour Larry King Live telethon this Monday, June 21, "DISASTER IN THE GULF: How You Can Help," from 8 to 10pm ET, a star-studded effort to raise funds for United Way, The National Wildlife Federation and The Nature Conservancy, organizations working directly with the families, individuals and Wildlife affected by the Gulf oil spill.
Read complete article here ...
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Be Still My Beating Heart (Music & Lyrics by Sting)
Be still my beating heart
It would be better to be cool
It’s not time to be open just yet
A lesson once learned is so hard to forget
Be still my beating heart
Or I’ll be taken for a fool
It’s not healthy to run at this pace
The blood runs so red to my face
I’ve been to every single book I know
To soothe the thoughts that plague me so
I sink like a stone that’s been thrown in the ocean
My logic has drowned in a sea of emotion
Stop before you start
Be still my beating heart
Restore my broken dreams
Shattered like a falling glass
I’m not ready to be broken just yet
A lesson once learned is so hard to forget
Be still my beating heart
You must learn to stand your ground
It's not healthy to run at this pace
The blood runs so red to my face
I've been to every single book I know
To soothe the thoughts that plague me so
Stop before you start
Be still my beating heart
Never to be wrong
Never to make promises that break
It's like singing in the wind
Or writing on the surface of a lake
And I wriggle like a fish caught on dry land
And I struggle to avoid any help at hand
It would be better to be cool
It’s not time to be open just yet
A lesson once learned is so hard to forget
Be still my beating heart
Or I’ll be taken for a fool
It’s not healthy to run at this pace
The blood runs so red to my face
I’ve been to every single book I know
To soothe the thoughts that plague me so
I sink like a stone that’s been thrown in the ocean
My logic has drowned in a sea of emotion
Stop before you start
Be still my beating heart
Restore my broken dreams
Shattered like a falling glass
I’m not ready to be broken just yet
A lesson once learned is so hard to forget
Be still my beating heart
You must learn to stand your ground
It's not healthy to run at this pace
The blood runs so red to my face
I've been to every single book I know
To soothe the thoughts that plague me so
Stop before you start
Be still my beating heart
Never to be wrong
Never to make promises that break
It's like singing in the wind
Or writing on the surface of a lake
And I wriggle like a fish caught on dry land
And I struggle to avoid any help at hand
Fragile (Music & Lyrics) by Sting
If blood will flow when flesh and steel are one
Drying in the colour of the evening sun
Tomorrow's rain will wash the stains away
But something in our minds will always stay
Perhaps this final act was meant
To clinch a lifetime's argument
That nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could
For all those born beneath an angry star
Lest we forget how fragile we are
On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are how fragile we are
On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are how fragile we are
How fragile we are how fragile we are
Drying in the colour of the evening sun
Tomorrow's rain will wash the stains away
But something in our minds will always stay
Perhaps this final act was meant
To clinch a lifetime's argument
That nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could
For all those born beneath an angry star
Lest we forget how fragile we are
On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are how fragile we are
On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are how fragile we are
How fragile we are how fragile we are
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