Sting & Edin Karamazov - The Music of John Dowland, Paris, October 26, 2006

00:30 Walsingham (lute solo) - 0’34
01:05 Letter Part I (by John Downland) - 0’38
01:45 Flow My Tears - 4’40
06:31 The Lowest Trees Have Tops - 2’01
08:52 Letter Part II - 0’37
09:30 The Most High and Mighty Christianus the Fourth, King of Denmark, His Galliard (also known as "The Battle Galliard") - 2’25
13:05 Can She Excuse My Wrongs - 2’39
16:09 Letter Part III - 0’51
17:02 Fine Knacks For Ladies [Second Booke of Songes, 1600, n° 12] - 2’09
19:37 Letter Part IV - 0’22
20:00 Fantasy - 2’28
22:28 Come Heavy Sleep - 3’43
26:22 Letter Part V - 0’07
26:30 Le Rossignol - 2’26
28:57 Come Again - 2’44
32:42 Have You Seen The Bright Lily Grow - 2’30
36:27 Letter Part VI - 0’42
37:11 Weep You No More Sad Fountains - 2’33
40:00 Clear or Cloudy - 2’30
43:21 Letter Part VII - 0’38
43:59 In Darkness We Dwell [A musical banquet, 1610, n° 10] - 3’45
49:07 Fields of gold (Sting) - 3’07
52:37 Message In A Bottle (Sting) - 5’23
59:03 Fine Knacks For Ladies [Second Booke of Songes, 1600, n° 12] - 2’09
Sting (vocal, lute)
Edin Karamazov (lute, archlute)
Choir Stile Antico
Paris, Maison de la Radio : Salle Olivier Messiaen (Studio 104) - October 26, 2006

[@thesoundofcontemporarymusi3196]

In my opinion, this performance is a vulgarisation of John Dowland's music. The best performer is Andreas Scholl (still in my opinion) with a worked voice. The interest of this concert is to show Sting's openness to different musical styles, and even very different ones.

[@raphael0929]

悪かったね

[@DawnDavidson]

Nevertheless, thank you for posting this. I respect your opinion, but my own is different. I think Sting is doing fabulous work in introducing this music to an entirely new audience who might never have been aware of it otherwise. And oh, the splendid lute! I read a comment elsewhere that I think also has merit, that this music was not necessarily meant to be reserved for only the rarest and most trained voices, but instead was meant to be available to “the common man.” I haven’t researched further to determine the truth of this assertion, but it makes sense to me. It was also a time of great passion, and I don’t think anyone can deny that Sting performs with great passion. I also loved the segments of letters, and Stung shared those well. There are other performances of this music that have an incredible purity of voice, and I’m sure than many will like those better. I like the passion and fire and the immediacy of this performance. Thanks again for posting it.

[@thesoundofcontemporarymusi3196]

@@DawnDavidson Thank you for your long comment and for your interest. Your opinion is interesting as I'm just starting to get interested in the work of the English philosopher Roger Scruton who has written a lot about art and aesthetics in art. Merci beaucoup !

[@theavocadoguitarist.1823]

@@DawnDavidsonhe played in the Courts of Nobility. He may have possibly related more to the middle/lower classes, but his work wasn’t per se meant for them. That said, the advantage of the modern age is that accessibility is broader than one could ever imagine, so Sting’s treatment of the matter is I think appropriate. To treat it, and ask others to treat it like a classical concert, but to not gatekeep it for stuck up rich audiences. We cannot, sadly, know for sure if Sting truly did Justice to John Dowland’s wonderful voice. But his admiration and passion he puts out is worthy of commendation.

[@gordanbudimirovic2374]

I got to John Dowland's music through Sting. Sting inspired me to start learning guitar and this album of his, performing Dowland, got me into studying lute. I will never be a professional player. However, the music is brilliant and I enjoy immensely playing it. None of it would have happened had Sting not done this album with Edin Karamazov. I think classically trained singers and musicians are phenomenal. But sometimes it takes a bit of "vulgarisation" to get more people listening and becoming interested in the music.

[@sachadelolmo5919]

Hello everyone! In relation to Sting's interpretation of John Dowland, certainly Sting is not a lyrical singer but it cannot be denied that he has done an impeccable job and that of course he has studied Dowland in depth. In conclusion, I feel that his work expresses a deep feeling which was Mr. John Dowland's intention. Thank you!

[@eduardocarreirodacruz8021]

Wonderful

[@ohji331]

So beautiful…

[@mariansmith7694]

I enjoyed this. Thank you 💙