Sting classics grow with the orchestra...

The CD 'Symphonicities' released this summer showed that the old Sting and Police songs were very well suited to being enlarged to symphonic proportions. Some of them, such as Roxanne and Every little breath you take, even grew in their new costumes and revealed new, unheard-of dimensions.

It also works when Sting takes the stage at the Globen in front of The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra; the new arrangements and the equally new soundscape effectively blow the dust off the really tired Sting songs and make the long concert endlessly entertaining.

At the same time, it is impossible not to feel disappointed that the subtle charge that characterized the studio recordings has been replaced by a more bloated and insensitive stage performance from everyone involved. It is probably necessary to reach large arenas like the Globen, but it is regrettable nonetheless.

With two percussionists, a bassist and a guitarist, complementing the full symphony orchestra, the rhythmic element is accentuated, which forces many of the songs forward. It is even visible in conductor Steven Mercurio's boisterous conducting; I have rarely seen a conductor jump and skip and flap his arms as much as Mercurio.

The amplification of the sound, which is necessary in a venue the size of the Globe, also means that the full sound of a symphony orchestra is lost. The warmth and breadth are replaced by a sharper and colder sound. Given that the Globe is not packed, a performance in, say, the Concert Hall or Cirkus could have provided a completely different experience.

Despite objections, it is, as I said, a successful update of Sting's attractive song catalogue. The singer has a relaxed appearance and creates intimacy between the songs with light-hearted introductions to most of the material being performed. Before the concert ends with a cappella singing, Sting even plays a little on a theremin, an ancient, elaborate electronic instrument. Just one of those things.

(c) Svenska Dagbladet by Dan Backman