In einer eMail vom 08.10.2006 01:30:04 Westeurop=E4ische Normalzeit schreibt [EMAIL PROTECTED]:
> Sting appeared on Swedish television today. Hi, thanks for the link, the live performances sound much much better than the CD does. I listened to the CD a couple of days ago and the lute does sound much more like a classical guitar than a lute.Maybe due partly to the single strings used probably only on a few tracks, but mainly due to the extreme close miking and lute playing that is heavily classical guitar infleunced.The sound is more like an electro-acoustic guitar than a lute. There is a also a heavy use of effect processing that sometimes gives the lute an almost keyboard like sound, for instance at the end of the first piece. Sting's vocals also sound better live without the extreme close miking. But in the end his theory of a "normal" voice is destroyed by his use of microphones, it would be interesting to hear the whole thing with a less extreme microphone set-up. Dowland would not have sung like Domingo, but he also didn't carry a PA system around with him. I think my first shock reaction was due to the press releases announcing a quite pure approach without modernisation, but in the end it is a pop production accompanied with a classical/romantic approach . Which is perfectly fine, no law against it, and as such works quite well, I would personally have been more interesting in hearing how a pop performer would have sounded in a more "hip" enviroment. If he does sell 300,000 in Germany then great and probably it will convince more concert organisers to believe in early music and particulary renaissance music. I just hope that we don't see a sort of Pavorotti and friends mentality happening, with all of it's mind numbing dullness. The moment that the music buisness smells that big sales are involved strange things can happen, but lets hope that the POD and Nigel Norths of this world also gain from a possible lute revolution. Interesting to see if Sting fans who first hear Dowland from their "hero" explore early music outside of this CD. I came to the lute through the guitarist of Yes saying he listened to a lot of lute music and particulary Julian Bream. But as Sting's attitude seems to be that he doesn't particulary like any early music performances except his own and Edin's, (Which is an opinion that he has every freedom to have) that may not happen. What is a fact, is that Sting is getting more media attention for his CD than probably than all other lutenists together in the last 20 years, this may be a good or bad thing, it may make no impression or change the way a large proportion of our society view the lute. What I find particulary interesting is that for all of it's modernisms the CD seems to get reviews that place it firmly for listeners who would normally listen to early music. This is something I did not expect them to say... The WAZ (Westdeutsche Zeitung) wrote... "This musical experiment is not for everyman with it's antiquated gravity, but will be loved by those who like "greensleeves" and shakespeare sonnets" In the end this whole "Sting Thing" is an interesting point to see where early music and lute laying stands at the moment and how the world views or ignores what the early music world is doing. As I said in my first mail I find Sting's emphasis on the words challenging and I am sure their is much more for early music singers to do in this direction, but his use of microphones, makes his experiments hard to take serious. If he has sold 300,000 in Germany alone then I am sure we can expect a second album quite soon, maybe he goes for a more "organic" approach next time..... best wishes Mark -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
