Symphonicity

Nov
5
2010
Vienna, AT
Stadthallewith None

Sting - more bombastic than the police allow...


What a battle of materials: On Friday evening, Sting set out with the 45-piece Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, a rock band, a vocalist, and a dance couple to win the hearts of the fans at the Vienna Stadthalle.


Let's get this straight: The plan was a success; the large audience was thrilled by the rearranged bombastic rock in which the former frontman of "Police" clothed his songs. However, the immediate catchiness of the works from the "Police" era fell completely by the wayside, especially "Roxanne" – a song where every extra note is already too much and which was consequently smothered in the orchestral mush.


Even if Sting's solo works didn't need it, they are the ones that work best thanks to the orchestral embellishment: "An Englishman In New York," for example, right at the beginning of the evening, arranged practically for a chamber orchestra from the outset; or 'Russians', which is even less surprising, since Master Sumner borrowed a melody from Sergei Prokofiev for the original; and finally 'Moon Over Bourbon Street', which Sting expands live with the orchestra into an impressively performed vampire drama, complete with a quirky solo on a touchless theremin synthesizer and a wolf's howl at the end.


Particularly impressive is the presence of the now 60-year-old's characteristically "cutting" voice, as well as that of the fantastic vocalist Jo Lawry at his side. The orchestra under Maestro Mercurio puts in a good effort for long stretches, but despite its strength, it simply lacks the sound pressure needed for a concert of pop songs. It doesn't help when the conductor jumps around mercurially and, with grand gestures, sometimes moves his baton like a two-handed instrument.


It's only during the encore set that the troupe really gets active, and that's when it becomes clear that this can actually work: especially during the first encore, "Desert Rose," which turns into an ecstatic, oriental musical orgy. All the more thrilling, given that the weaknesses of the approach had been revealed once again just before: The commercially most successful Police hit, "Every Breath You Take," is somewhat weakened by being blown up into a musical widescreen format—no matter, it still brought the crowd to their feet; after all, it was the last song of the main part, and that's where it should be.


Speaking of "Every Breath You Take": It was on the last and best-selling "Police" album, "Synchronicity"—so you'd be wrong to think that Sting's naming of the new album, including the tour with "Symphonicities," was a coincidence. In any case, despite the After the success at the Stadthalle, there must have been some fans who, after 'Symphonicities,' quickly popped 'Synchronicity' into their CD players at home, or at least inhaled 'Roxanne' and/or the brilliant 'Message In A Bottle' at full volume. Conclusion: ''De Do Do Do De Da Da Da''...


© Kleine Zeitung by Werner Müllner

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