''Symphonicities'' is the tenth studio album by English musician
Sting, released on 13 July 2010 on
Deutsche Grammophon
Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family o ...
. This is his first studio album featuring new recordings of existing songs (the second one to date being the 2019 studio album ''
My Songs
''My Songs'' is the fourteenth studio album by British singer-songwriter Sting (musician), Sting and his second studio album to feature new renditions of previously released material (after 2010's ''Symphonicities''). The album was released on 2 ...
'').
Background
The album is a companion piece to the
tour of the same name in which Sting, performing with the
Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, reinterprets some of his songs as
classical symphonic compositions. ''Symphonicities'' was recorded at
Abbey Road Studios,
[Sting interview for Symphonicities](_blank)
8 July 2010. and produced by
Rob Mathes and Sting.
Elliot Scheiner
Elliot Ray Scheiner (born 18 March 1947) is a music producer, mixer and engineer. Scheiner has received 27 Grammy Award nominations, eight of which he won, and he has been awarded four Emmy nominations, two Emmy Awards for his work with the Ea ...
and Claudius Mittendorfer mixed the record,
and it was mastered by
Scott Hull.
As of November 2010, the album had sold over one million copies worldwide.
Track listing
All songs composed by Sting.
# "
Next to You" – 2:30 (originally from ''
Outlandos d'Amour'', 1978)
# "
Englishman in New York
"Englishman in New York" is a song by English singer-songwriter Sting, from his second studio album '' ...Nothing Like the Sun'', released in October 1987. Branford Marsalis played soprano saxophone on the track, while the drums were played by ...
" – 4:23 (originally from ''
...Nothing Like the Sun'', 1987)
# "
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" is a song by British rock group the Police from their fourth album, '' Ghost in the Machine''. The song, notable for featuring a pianist (uncommon in Police songs), dates back to a demo recorded in the house ...
" – 4:56 (originally from ''
Ghost in the Machine'', 1981)
# "
I Hung My Head
"I Hung My Head" is a song written by the singer-songwriter Sting and released on the 1996 album ''Mercury Falling''. It reflects Sting's childhood fondness for TV Westerns, as well as his avowed interest in country music, but also tackles deep ...
" – 5:31 (originally from ''
Mercury Falling'', 1996)
# "
You Will Be My Ain True Love
"You Will Be My Ain True Love" is a song written and performed by Sting and Alison Krauss from 2003, in the film '' Cold Mountain''. The song was nominated for an Academy Award, a Grammy Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.
The ...
" – 3:44 (originally from the ''
Cold Mountain'' soundtrack, 2003)
# "
Roxanne" – 3:37 (originally from ''Outlandos d'Amour'', 1978)
# "When We Dance" – 5:26 (originally from ''
Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984–1994'', 1994)
# "The End of the Game" – 6:07 (originally a b-side to the song "Brand New Day" from ''
Brand New Day Brand New Day or A Brand New Day may refer to:
Music
*''Brand New Day'', the American title for the 1990 Australian musical ''Bran Nue Dae''
Albums
* ''Brand New Day'' (Swollen Members album), 2014
* ''Brand New Day'' (Ricki-Lee Coulter album), o ...
'', 1999)
# "I Burn for You" – 4:03 (originally from the ''
Brimstone & Treacle'' soundtrack, 1982)
# "We Work the Black Seam" – 7:19 (originally from ''
The Dream of the Blue Turtles'', 1985)
# "She's Too Good for Me" – 3:03 (originally from ''
Ten Summoner's Tales'', 1993)
# "The Pirate's Bride" – 5:02 (feat. Jo Lawry - originally a b-side to the song "I Was Brought to My Senses" from ''Mercury Falling'', 1996)
Bonus tracks
* "Straight to My Heart" (
Best Buy
Best Buy Co. Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was rebra ...
,
Napster
Napster was a peer-to-peer file sharing application. It originally launched on June 1, 1999, with an emphasis on digital audio file distribution. Audio songs shared on the service were typically encoded in the MP3 format. It was founded by Sh ...
,
EU iTunes and Japanese bonus track) (originally from ''...Nothing Like the Sun'', 1987)
* "Why Should I Cry for You?" (
iTunes and Japanese bonus track) (originally from ''
The Soul Cages'', 1991)
* "
Whenever I Say Your Name" (
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...
and Japanese bonus track) (originally from ''
Sacred Love'', 2003)
* "
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" is a song by British rock group the Police from their fourth album, '' Ghost in the Machine''. The song, notable for featuring a pianist (uncommon in Police songs), dates back to a demo recorded in the house ...
" (Bronx Street Fair Mix) (''Symphonicities'' vinyl LP bonus track)
Personnel
*
Sting – vocals, acoustic guitar (tracks 9 and 11), harmonica (track 4), rabble rousers (track 11)
* The New York Chamber Consort – orchestra (tracks 1, 2, 9, 11 and 12)
* The London Players – orchestra (tracks 3 and 6)
* The
Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra – orchestra (tracks 4, 5, 7 and 8)
* Lisa Kim – concertmaster (tracks 1, 2, 9 and 12)
* Jackie Shave – concertmaster (tracks 3 and 6)
* Gerald Gregory – concertmaster (tracks 4, 7 and 8)
*
Rob Mathes – arrangements (all tracks except 4, 5 and 7), conducting (tracks 1–3, 6, 9, 10 and 12)
*
Steven Mercurio – arrangements (tracks 5 and 7), conducting (tracks 4, 7 and 8)
*
David Hartley – arrangements (track 4)
*
Jo Lawry
Jo Lawry is an Australian singer and musician. Lawry's debut album, ''I Want to Be Happy'', was released in 2008. ''Down Beat'' magazine gave it 4.5 out of 5 and selected it as one of the "Best CDs of the 2000s".
Music career
Jo Lawry was rai ...
– backing vocals (all tracks except 10), duet vocals (tracks 5 and 12)
*
David Finck – double bass (tracks 1–3 and 6)
*
Ira Coleman – double bass (tracks 4, 5, 7, 8 and 11)
*
Dominic Miller
Dominic James Miller (born 21 March 1960) is an Argentine-born guitarist. With much of his career as a sideman and guitarist for singer Sting, he has also released several solo albums.
Career
Miller was born in Hurlingham, Argentina to an Iris ...
– acoustic guitar (tracks 4, 5, 7, 8 and 12), electric guitar (track 11)
*
Rob Mathes – piano (tracks 1–3, 6 and 12), acoustic guitar (tracks 3, 6 and 11), rabble rousers (track 11)
* David Cossin – percussion (tracks 1–9)
* Joe Bonadio – percussion (tracks 1, 2, 9–12 and "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" (Bronx Street Fair Mix))
* Ben Wittman – programming (track 9)
*
Aaron Heick – clarinet solo (track 2)
*
Anthony Pleeth
Anthony Pleeth, born in 1948 in London, is an English cellist, specialising in the historically informed performance of music of the 18th and 19th centuries on period instruments.
Biography and career
He studied cello with his father, renowned ...
– cello (track 6)
* Shelley Woodworth – oboe (track 12)
* Barbara Allen – harp (track 12)
* Jeff Kievit – trumpet (track 10)
* Jim Hynes – trumpet (track 10)
* James Delagarza – trumpet (track 10)
* Dylan Schwab – trumpet (track 10)
* Larry DiBello – horn (track 10)
* Chad Yarborough – horn (track 10)
* David Peel – horn (track 10)
* Theo Primus – horn (track 10)
*
Birch Johnson
Birch "Crimson Slide" Johnson (born 1953 in Dublin, Georgia) is an American trombonist. He is a first call studio trombonist, Emmy-nominated composer, producer and songwriter based in New York City. He graduated from the University of Alabama, r ...
– trombone (track 10)
* Dick Clark – trombone (track 10)
* Jeff Nelson – bass trombone (track 10)
*
Marcus Rojas
Marcus Rojas (born February 23, 1963) is an American tubist from New York City.
Early life
Rojas was born in New York City on February 23, 1963, and grew up in Red Hook, Brooklyn. His early influences included Eddie Palmieri, Willie Colón, ...
– tuba (track 10)
*
Chris Botti
Christopher Stephen Botti ( ; born October 12, 1962) is an award-winning American trumpeter and composer.
In 2013, Botti won the Grammy Award in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category, for the album ''Impressions''.
He was also nominated i ...
– rabble rousers (track 11)
* Ed Cherner – rabble rousers (track 11)
* Tracy Bufferd – rabble rousers (track 11)
* Kathryn Schenker – rabble rousers (track 11)
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
External links
Official siteFansite*
{{Authority control
Sting (musician) albums
2010 albums
2010 classical albums
Albums produced by Rob Mathes
Classical albums by English artists
Deutsche Grammophon albums