Essay Example on Sting's If On a Winter's Night: A Nostalgic Musical Celebration

The concert that will be in discussion is titled If On a Winter's Night, performed by Sting from live in Durham Cathedral. His song was recorded on September 29, 2009 after his global success with "songs from the Labrinth," featuring the music of Elizabethan composer John Dowland. Sting's If On a Winter's Night invokes the nostalgic feeling within most of his audience especially for Christmass season, and overall atmospheric musical celebration of winter, days which are reckoned to be of solitude and reflection. The essay will discuss and analyze Sting's If On a Winter's Night performance live at Durham Castle.

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Sting otherwise known as Gordon Matthew Thomas, embraces a unique musical style that synthesizes the elements of jazz and pop. He also has an impeccable character that helps him balance the roles of being a father, husband, musician, and activist. Just before Sting performs If On a Winter's Night live fron Durham Cathedral, he expresses delight in being back at Durham Cathedral, and insists that he is particularly delighted at being back at his homeland. He goes there more seldom, and it even excites him that he is coming back in the season of the winter, since winter season seems to have the gravitational pull that tends to make someone be drawn to somewhere warm, safe, cradle, and family home.

Sting describes winter as a season for imagination, reflection on the dark past times that help them to regroup carefully, and plan for better days ahead. The whole concert was intriguing, especially the motif of the concert consisted of British ballards, Celtic music, and smooth jazz classical songs, reminiscent of the songs I was hearing from my childhood during Christmas season. Sting's If On a Winter's Night is done is a remarkable setting of one of the England's most famous Cathedrals. The Cathedral stands on a peninsual overlooking the River Wear in Durham County. The century old UNESCO world heritage building is an iconic landmark of Northern England.

The overall design, and atmosphere are equally as stirring, and it is in the same setting that Sting is joined by guest musicians namely; local musicians from Newcastle (Kathryn Tickell, Peter Tickell, and Julian Sutton). Revered performers from around the globe are also present, and they include; Dominic Miller (guitarist), Vicent Segal (Cello) Mary MacMaster(harpist), Ira Coleman (bass player), Chris Gecker (Trumpet), David Mansfield (Violin, and Mandolin player), and Rhan Krija (percussion). Further, there are several vocalists like Laila Biali, Jo Lawry, and Steven Santoro who also use string, and brass devices.

While performing traditional musical classicals of the British isles as its beginning point, Sting, and his guest musicians intepret stirring, folk-based melodies of other songs like The Snow it Melts the Soonest, Soul Cake, Christmass at Sea, and Gabriel's Message, but his own composition of If On a Winter's Night catches the heart of the audience as it resonates with the winter season, and his homecoming that he values a great deal. The performanc was an ensemble involving different artists who used diverse musical instruments to create a musical rhythm that touched the hearts of the congregants. The genre of If On a Winter's Night is pop, folk, and classical in nature. One biggest factor that amazed me after listening to his performance at was his hoarse voice that lacks the scope or emotional resonance for medieval madrigals, however, illustrates he has undergone through a life of hardships, and is relishing that this winter season will help him put to bed those bad memories, and contemplate on better days as he waits for the snows to melt, and enter the season of "autum" that can best be described as season of rebirth.

If On a Winter's Night has a contemporary standard tune, particularly when the ensemble sing the chorus " ekoro ekoro x3"