If on a Winter's Night...

Last updated

If on a Winter's Night...
Sting winter night.jpg
Studio album by
Sting
Released26 October 2009 (2009-10-26)
Genre Pop, folk, classical
Length50:18
With Bonus Tracks: 59:16
Label Deutsche Grammophon
Cherrytree
Producer Robert Sadin, Sting
Sting chronology
Songs from the Labyrinth
(2006)		If on a Winter's Night...
(2009)		 Symphonicities
(2010)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 43/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Billboard (favorable) [3]
The Boston Globe (positive) [4]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
NU.nl Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
The Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8] [9]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

If on a Winter's Night... is the ninth studio album from British musician Sting. [10] The album is a collection of Christmas and winter-themed songs mostly written by others, including folk songs, madrigals and religious hymns from past centuries. Dozens of musicians appear on the album in various configurations, including jazz, folk and classical players.

Contents

It was released in most countries on 26 October 2009, [11] [12] on 27 October 2009 in the United States [13] and 2 November 2009 in the United Kingdom.[ citation needed ] The album was released in several formats: vinyl LP, a single-disc CD, a limited edition CD and making-of DVD entitled The Genesis of 'If on a Winter's Night...' in Six Chapters in hardback book packaging, an Amazon exclusive version, as well as various import editions (of note is the Japanese edition). The limited edition and Amazon exclusive both include bonus songs; the Japanese edition include them as well but adds "The Coventry Carol." The album includes a reworking of "The Hounds of Winter" from his album Mercury Falling .

The title of the album is based on the novel If on a winter's night a traveler by Italo Calvino. [14]

Track listing

If on a Winter's Night... track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Gabriel's Message"Traditional2:32
2."Soul Cake" Paul Stookey, Tracey Batteast, Elena Mezetti3:26
3."There Is No Rose of Such Virtue"Anonymous4:01
4."The Snow It Melts the Soonest"Traditional3:42
5."Christmas at Sea"Poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, music by Sting, Mary Macmaster 4:34
6."Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming"Music by Michael Praetorius, English translation by Theodore Baker 2:40
7."Cold Song"Music by Henry Purcell, lyrics by John Dryden 3:14
8."The Burning Babe"Music by Chris Wood, lyrics by Robert Southwell 2:46
9."Now Winter Comes Slowly"Music by Henry Purcell, lyrics by Thomas Betterton 3:04
10."The Hounds of Winter"Sting5:45
11."Balulalow"Music by Peter Warlock, lyrics traditional3:08
12."The Cherry-Tree Carol"Traditional3:10
13."Lullaby for an Anxious Child"Music and lyrics by Sting and Dominic Miller 2:52
14."The Hurdy-Gurdy Man"Music by Franz Schubert, poem by Wilhelm Müller, adapted by Sting2:48
15."You Only Cross My Mind in Winter"Music by J. S. Bach, lyrics by Sting2:36
Bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
16."Bethlehem Down"Peter Warlock and Bruce Blunt 2:56
17."Blake's Cradle Song"Music by Vaughan Williams, poem by William Blake 3:29
18."The Coventry Carol" 2:33

Personnel

Musicians

Production

Studios

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for If on a Winter's Night...
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA) [50] Gold15,000*
Canada (Music Canada) [51] Gold40,000^
France (SNEP) [52] Platinum100,000*
Germany (BVMI) [53] Gold100,000^
Hungary (MAHASZ) [54] Platinum6,000^
Italy (FIMI) [55] 2× Platinum140,000*
Poland (ZPAV) [56] 4× Platinum80,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [57] Gold15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [58] Silver60,000*
United States (RIAA) [59] Gold544,000 [60]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

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  2. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen. "If on a Winter's Night..." AllMusic. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
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