This CD is a thing of delicate beauty. There are no synth-laden pop riffs or 'guest vocalists'...if you're looking for anything like The Police or the typical Sting offerings of his solo career, you'll be disappointed.
If you've heard "Songs From the Labyrinth" you'll have a better idea what to expect from "If On A Winters Night". Sting, in his maturity, seems lately to have been drawn to ancient music: consider also that this recording, like "Labyrinth", was released on Deutsche Grammaphon, a classical label.
The music itself is flawless. It has a keen sound quality - particularly on the pieces with stripped-down instrumentation - and the arrangements are careful.
If you've heard "Songs From the Labyrinth" you'll have a better idea what to expect from "If On A Winters Night". Sting, in his maturity, seems lately to have been drawn to ancient music: consider also that this recording, like "Labyrinth", was released on Deutsche Grammaphon, a classical label.
The music itself is flawless. It has a keen sound quality - particularly on the pieces with stripped-down instrumentation - and the arrangements are careful.
If you are interested at all in Sting as a person, the liner notes will prove invaluable. There are six closely-printed pages written by Sting: musings on his agnosticism, his childhood memories of winter, the seasonal cycle as it affects humans. It's interesting and introspective.
I would classify this CD not as "Christmas", as I've seen it described, but as "solstice". It reminds me a little of the New Age/Pagan CDs that comprise my favourite winter listening.
I love If On A Winter's Night. It is full of lovely winter songs, beautifully interpreted by a first-class musician.
Listen Here.
6 comments:
Thank you, Shan! This sounds like just my kind of music - and since I buy maybe 3 CDs a year, I'm guessing it will be well worth it. I will definitely be giving this one a go!
Jibberty Christmas that's beautiful. I think I may actually have to buy a CD. (gasp!!)
We've been listening to that for the past couple of weeks...love love it!
I love that you put "guest vocalists" in quotation marks, like, "I've heard this is what the kids are calling them these days." :-D Also, the absence of synth-laden pop riffs is always a plus in my book.
Golly, I could buy it unheard, just on that description (and the album artwork). Sounds like it sounds like the structure of a snowflake. Delightful.
I want this. Plain and simple.
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