Sting's songs delighted Lithuanians again...

The sounds of a symphony orchestra and the voice of British music star Sting flooded Vilnius' Vingis Park on Monday - the singer once again presented the 'Symphonicity' program in Lithuania.

For the second time in twelve months, the artist, who visited Vilnius, once again tempted Lithuanians with a combination of symphonic music and his most popular songs.

Sting's successful experiment, which has been presented in concerts since the middle of last year, left a great impression on the audience - although not as many people came to hear him as expected.

The former leader of the band ''The Police'' has accumulated such a creative baggage over more than three decades of his career that he could already throw hits at the beginning of the concert, which artists usually save for the end - 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic', 'If I Ever Lose My Faith In You', 'Englishman In New York'.

Having performed in Lithuania in the fall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London, this time Sting chose the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra as his partner.

It was difficult to notice any major differences - under the supervision of Sting's accompanying conductor Sarah Hicks, the Lithuanian musicians understood the nuances of the arrangements perfectly, and the singer himself complimented their professionalism after the rehearsal.

However, the two main stars are Sting himself, who probably wouldn't be able to pull off a single note of "ro country" even if tortured, and the arrangers of his works.

Most of the artist's well-known works with a symphony orchestra are revealed in new colours - 'Next To You' shows that even classical musicians can play rock and roll, 'Moon Over Bourbon Street' with its classical music interludes, the twang of the exotic instrument theremin, and Sting's howl at the end perfectly conveys a story about vampires.

In the two-part concert, Sting sings almost everything his fan's heart could desire - from the ballads 'Every Breath You Take' and 'Shape Of My Heart' to the biblically inspired song 'Mad About You' or the more subdued love song for the prostitute 'Roxanne'. The calm audience is moved by faster-paced songs in the second part of the concert. With the fiery oriental rhythms of the song 'Desert Rose', the audience in all the cities Sting has visited rises from their seats and sways to the rhythm of the magical music. "Open-air concerts are completely different from arenas. I like to sing in the fresh air. This is a bigger challenge, because even singing requires a little bit of a different approach," the 59-year-old celebrity told "Lietuvos rytas".

The singer emphasized that the 'Symphonicity' program is one that is worth listening to several times, because then new nuances of music are revealed.

The listener had to agree - even in the already heard pieces, unexpected decisions emerged, notes that the audience was not allowed to ''digest'' due to their first impression.

Sting and his entourage, who arrived in Vilnius on Sunday, managed to take a look around the city, while guitarist Dominic Miller and percussionist Rhani Krija managed to visit Trakai and taste kibiņas.

Late Sunday evening, the inspired musicians even found time for creativity. After visiting the studio of Empti member Paulius Kilbauskas, Rhani and Dominic, inspired, recorded the instrumentation for a song by the Algerian singer they are collaborating with in a couple of hours.

(c) Lietuvos Rytas by Ramūnas Zilnys