Songs from the Labyrinth...

At the Stadtcasino Basel, former Police singer Sting gave a surprisingly sensitive interpretation of songs by Renaissance composer John Dowland.

As far as his musical qualities as a rock and pop singer are concerned, Gordon Matthew Sumner, better known by his stage name Sting, is unlikely to be met with disapproval by critics specializing in this genre, as the singer has repeatedly delighted the writing community with his sensitive songs throughout his career. However, as far as those writers specializing in reviewing classical and early music are concerned, the situation hasn't been so clear since last fall, as the former Police singer dared to release the CD "Songs From The Labyrinth," featuring lute songs by the English composer John Dowland (1562-1626), together with the highly competent lutenist Edin Karamazov, who trained at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (SCB). Some of the music critics clearly felt insulted that an uneducated singer from the popular music world had dared to record songs by the Renaissance composer Dowland, considered the most outstanding lutenist of the Elizabethan era, after a few singing lessons at the SCB.

However, this whole discussion apparently didn't bother all the Sting fans who recently flocked to the Stadtcasino Basel to celebrate their star. While the appreciative audience remained hesitant during the first two pieces, performed solo by Edin Karamazov on a theorbo related to the lute, initial expressions of enthusiasm were heard during Sting's performance, although these quickly faded due to the music, which was held at an extreme pianissimo.

As on the CD 'Songs From The Labyrinth,' there was nothing to criticize about Edin Karamazov's magnificent, extremely sensitive lute playing. The real surprise of the evening, however, was Sting, whose vocals sound somewhat affected and strained to sound like an alto on the CD, but came across surprisingly natural and unaffected live. With sensitivity and without affectation, he interpreted Dowland's melancholic songs with astonishing bravura. The duo could have done without the inclusion of an eight-person choir (The Concord Ensemble London); musically, this didn't add much, and the intelligibility of the lyrics suffered unnecessarily. Ultimately, one had to generously overlook the fact that Sting, after enthusiastic standing ovations, performed arrangements of his own songs as an encore.

For all those who have now been infected by Dowland's lute music, here's a tip: The "Basler Lauten Abende" regularly present lute concerts full of graceful beauty at the highest interpretive level at the Zinzendorfhaus Basel (see www.mypage.bluewin.ch/lautenabende).

(c) Mittelland Zeitung by Rolf de Marchi