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Track Listings
| 1. Gabriel's Message |
| 2. Soul Cake |
| 3. There Is No Rose Of Such Virtue |
| 4. The Snow It Melts The Soonest |
| 5. Christmas At Sea |
| 6. Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming |
| 7. Cold Song |
| 8. The Burning Babe |
| 9. Now Winter Comes Slowly |
| 10. The Hounds Of Winter |
| 11. Balulalow |
| 12. Cherry Tree Carol |
| 13. Lullaby For An Anxious Child |
| 14. Hurdy Gurdy Man |
| 15. You Only Cross My Mind In Winter |
Product Description
CD Description
If On A Winter's Night presents an arc of songs that conjure the season of spirits, the eerie silences of the snow; days of solitude and reflection for some, a time of re-birth and celebration for many. With traditional music of the British Isles as their starting point, Sting and his guest musicians draw the listener in through a collection of songs, carols, and lullabies spanning the centuries--such as "The Snow It Melts the Soonest" (a traditional Newcastle ballad), "Soul Cake" (a traditional English begging song which has its roots in Halloween/All Souls Day), Gabriel's Message (a 14th century carol), as well as two of Sting's own compositions: "Lullaby for an Anxious Child" and "The Hounds of Winter". Also featured on the album is "Hurdy Gurdy Man", a musical reworking and English translation (by Sting) of "Der Leiermann" from Schubert's classic winter song-cycle Winterreise.
Product Description
1. Gabriel's Message2. Soul Cake3. There is No Rose of Such Virtue4. The Snow it Melts the Soonest5. Christmas at Sea6. Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming7. Cold Song8. The Burning Babe9. Now Winter Comes Slowly10. The Hounds of Winter11. Balulalow12. Cherry Tree Carol13. Lullaby for an Anxious Child14. Hurdy Gurdy Man15. You Only Cross My Mind in Winter
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
172 of 175 people found the following review helpful
By Mr. C. Davis
Format:Audio CD
The first thing I will say is that this is the first Sting album I have ever brought (or owned, copied, let in the house...). So I don't come to it with any baggage of claiming to be a fan. I think some previous reviews here suffer from assuming that this is a straight pop album. Its not. The Deutche Gramophon label should be your guide.
I was intrigued enough to buy it as an intrest in folk and classical music puts this right up my street. I have also had a strong intrest in winter / Christmas too. By which I don't mean Wizzard / Slade. Anyway.
There is much to intrigue here. At 50 minutes running time, the album covers a lot of ground, and repeat listens will reveal lots of subtle parts you may miss first time round. There is old English folk songs, poems sung and set to music. Sting covers five centuries of music, but blends it all together beautifully. If you want a winter album to soundtrack the party season, forget it. If you don't want to try something new, learn about something outside the usual pop/rock mainstream, or widen your horizons, move on. But if you do appreciate musicians playing really well as individuals and together, an education and entertainment, this is for you. If you want something to soundtrack dark nights and reflection on the passing year as you sit by the fire with your favorite tipple as the lights flicker across the walls, take a chance and invest in this. I suspect as winter rolls around year on year, this will make repeat appearences on the stereo. It certainly has me researching further some of the origianal inspirations for the tracks. Which is what great music should do. Lead you on to even more...It's not an easy listen at times. Not all the tracks have a hummable melody or toe-tapping rhythm. Most are slow and take time to unfurl.... Read more ›
I was intrigued enough to buy it as an intrest in folk and classical music puts this right up my street. I have also had a strong intrest in winter / Christmas too. By which I don't mean Wizzard / Slade. Anyway.
There is much to intrigue here. At 50 minutes running time, the album covers a lot of ground, and repeat listens will reveal lots of subtle parts you may miss first time round. There is old English folk songs, poems sung and set to music. Sting covers five centuries of music, but blends it all together beautifully. If you want a winter album to soundtrack the party season, forget it. If you don't want to try something new, learn about something outside the usual pop/rock mainstream, or widen your horizons, move on. But if you do appreciate musicians playing really well as individuals and together, an education and entertainment, this is for you. If you want something to soundtrack dark nights and reflection on the passing year as you sit by the fire with your favorite tipple as the lights flicker across the walls, take a chance and invest in this. I suspect as winter rolls around year on year, this will make repeat appearences on the stereo. It certainly has me researching further some of the origianal inspirations for the tracks. Which is what great music should do. Lead you on to even more...It's not an easy listen at times. Not all the tracks have a hummable melody or toe-tapping rhythm. Most are slow and take time to unfurl.... Read more ›
68 of 71 people found the following review helpful
By D. Dunn
Format:Audio CD
Weaving through all the songs on Sting's latest album "If On A Winter's Night..." are the themes of winter, ghosts and spirits, religion and the pull of home back to loved and missed ones. The musicians and singers complement the songs impeccably - the Northumbrian pipes of Kathryn Tickell are so evocative of the the northeast and are an instant reminder to older fans of his classic 1991 album "The Soul Cages", an album that drew heavily on his roots. Stand out tracks include "Christmas At Sea", a poem written by Robert Louis Stevenson that is combined with the Gaelic song "Thograinn Thograinn" and provides one of the most evocative songs that Sting has recorded. "Soul Cake" is a very catchy song that is guaranteed to etch its way into your subconscious after the first listen and is the most immediate track on the album; "The Snow It Melts The Soonest" is a hauntingly beautiful Northumbrian track; "The Burning Babe" contrasts a macabre tale with a jolly tune to great effect, and Sting combines his own lyrics to a piece of Bach on the melancholic "You Only Cross My Mind In Winter". Taken with traditional Christmas songs such as "Gabriel's Message" and the "Cherry Tree Carol", some reworkings of older songs such as "The Hounds of Winter" and "Lullaby To An Anxious Child", and more obscure pieces from centuries past such as "Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming" and "Now Winter Comes Slowly" means that Sting delivers a thoughtful and beautifully judged seasonally themed album without once having to mention reindeer, snowmen or Santa Claus.
52 of 56 people found the following review helpful
By EuroBee
Format:Audio CD
I don't know about you but, for me, one of the problems with a lot of music these days is the obsession with churning out more or less the same album time after time after time. For a vast majority of acts today, you know exactly what their next album will sound like. In the good old days, by contrast, one of the great joys of following a particular band or singer was not knowing exactly what they would come up with next. Sometimes it would work - sometimes it wouldn't. But it would always be enthralling to watch their 'journey'.
So I'm delighted that Sting has come from left-field again with "If On A Winter's Night...". Even better than that, he's produced what is (to my ears) a convincing, successful album of folky, wintertide tales and tunes that work extremely well as a collective, yet also furnish him with enough latitude to experiment with different vocal styles, introduce unfamiliar melodies (as on this version of the seasonal 'standard' "Gabriel's Message") and interweave a range of musical approaches (as on the excellent, jazz-tinged "The Burning Babe"). Sting's always been a master of musical fusion and this album is no different. And as a Warlock/Schubert fan, I'm delighted to see examples of their work slotting neatly into this superbly reflective, understated, bitter-sweet collection.
Stand-outs for me include "The Hurdy-Gurdy Man", "Soul Cake", "The Hounds of Winter" and "The Snow It Melts The Soonest". But the truth is that Sting puts his indelible stamp on all the songs.
So what next, Sting? Wait - don't tell me! Surprise me. Again!
So I'm delighted that Sting has come from left-field again with "If On A Winter's Night...". Even better than that, he's produced what is (to my ears) a convincing, successful album of folky, wintertide tales and tunes that work extremely well as a collective, yet also furnish him with enough latitude to experiment with different vocal styles, introduce unfamiliar melodies (as on this version of the seasonal 'standard' "Gabriel's Message") and interweave a range of musical approaches (as on the excellent, jazz-tinged "The Burning Babe"). Sting's always been a master of musical fusion and this album is no different. And as a Warlock/Schubert fan, I'm delighted to see examples of their work slotting neatly into this superbly reflective, understated, bitter-sweet collection.
Stand-outs for me include "The Hurdy-Gurdy Man", "Soul Cake", "The Hounds of Winter" and "The Snow It Melts The Soonest". But the truth is that Sting puts his indelible stamp on all the songs.
So what next, Sting? Wait - don't tell me! Surprise me. Again!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
As so many others have said, this record is a bit of a slow burner. When you first put it on, you may find yourself baulking at the Christmassy references lurking in the songs. Why (you may ask) was Sting so irritable with the record company for suggesting that he record a 'Christmas Album'? Hasn't he partly done just that?
You may also get a trifle irritated at the warbled 'serious singing voice' Sting has adopted on one or two of the tracks. You may even wonder to yourself whether they have bright Christmas lights, warming Glühwein, skating rinks, central heating and Yule logs in any place Sting happens to spend the festive season. It can't all be deep gloom in Winter, can it?
But a few listens will put you right. The Christmas references are in there because most of us have inevitably absorbed such things into our bloodstream even if we don't believe the whole account the carols and writings offer; they're part of our cultural landscape, if not our religious or spiritual one. And they are accompanied by the kind of reflective, unshowy music which suits precisely the period during which I write this: between Christmas and New Year.
I suspect the record will get a lot of plays in January and February too, as it is not a Christmas bauble. Suffice to say that this CD is something of a surprise.
You may also get a trifle irritated at the warbled 'serious singing voice' Sting has adopted on one or two of the tracks. You may even wonder to yourself whether they have bright Christmas lights, warming Glühwein, skating rinks, central heating and Yule logs in any place Sting happens to spend the festive season. It can't all be deep gloom in Winter, can it?
But a few listens will put you right. The Christmas references are in there because most of us have inevitably absorbed such things into our bloodstream even if we don't believe the whole account the carols and writings offer; they're part of our cultural landscape, if not our religious or spiritual one. And they are accompanied by the kind of reflective, unshowy music which suits precisely the period during which I write this: between Christmas and New Year.
I suspect the record will get a lot of plays in January and February too, as it is not a Christmas bauble. Suffice to say that this CD is something of a surprise.
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3.7 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A classic Sting album
A very unique album of early music. A very able group of 'early music' musicians support Sting in performing a range of songs from the 'past'; including Bach, Warlock, Purcell,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by jdb
5.0 out of 5 stars
The darker side of Christmas
I heard "Soul Cake" at a Church concert, and had to own an album featuring this haunting track. Sting's is perfect.
Published 3 months ago by Iolanthelancs
4.0 out of 5 stars
He's still got it!
A more reflective album from Sting but musically and lyrically as good as anything he's done before. Definately worth a listen.
Published 5 months ago by Mr. M. Kranz
3.0 out of 5 stars
OK but not one of Sting's better albums
Soal Cake is probably my favourite song on the album, which is good, but a little mournful sounding at times. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Andy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Winter's essence trapped and bottled by Sting!
Listening to "Cold Song" I literally felt like I was freezing to death! "Balulalow" is one of the most inventive Sting melodies in a long time (using a great old Scottish tune). Read more
Published 17 months ago by D.Austin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Is this ex police officer serious|?
Somehow you knew that Sting was up to something the day he revived (and had a hit with) Binnie Hale's Spread A Little Happiness. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Richard
5.0 out of 5 stars
So Good!
I really love listening to this when winter comes around. It's the perfect music for those dark, cold and snowy days. Read more
Published on 9 Jun 2011 by Pete
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
I was given a copy of this CD last Christmas and from the first play I loved it!
As a fan of Sting and also of Folk Music in general I found it an interesting fusion of the... Read more
As a fan of Sting and also of Folk Music in general I found it an interesting fusion of the... Read more
Published on 22 Feb 2011 by BladeRunner
2.0 out of 5 stars
Marvelous music - shame about the vocalist...
The idea of this album appealed to me - but listening to it I find that the reality appalls me. Backing musicians, vocals and arrangement are superb (that's why I give it a... Read more
Published on 6 Dec 2010 by I. C. Devereux
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sting - If on a winter's night
An excellent CD and an equally good DVD.
Superb haunting music played by Sting and his fellow musicians.
Well worth the cost of watching and listening.
Superb haunting music played by Sting and his fellow musicians.
Well worth the cost of watching and listening.
Published on 16 Jun 2010 by West Ewell Eagle
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