If on a Winter's Night...

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.

If on a Winter's Night...
Studio album by
Sting
Released26 October 2009 (2009-10-26)
GenrePop, folk, classical
LabelDeutsche Grammophon
Cherrytree
ProducerRobert Sadin, Sting
Sting chronology
Songs from the Labyrinth
(2006)		 If on a Winter's Night...
(2009)		 Symphonicities
(2010)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic43/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Billboard(favorable)[3]
The Boston Globe(positive)[4]
The Guardian[5]
The Independent[6]
NU.nl[7]
Q[1]
The Times[8][9]
Uncut[1]

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. 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.com 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 Macmaster4:34
6."Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming"Music by Michael Praetorius, English translation by Theodore Baker2:40
7."Cold Song"Music by Henry Purcell, lyrics by John Dryden3:14
8."The Burning Babe"Music by Chris Wood, lyrics by Robert Southwell2:46
9."Now Winter Comes Slowly"Music by Henry Purcell, lyrics by Thomas Betterton3:04
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 Miller2:52
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 Blunt2:56
17."Blake's Cradle Song"Music by Vaughan Williams, poem by William Blake3:29
18."The Coventry Carol" 2:33

Personnel

Musicians

Production
  • Sting – producer, mixing
  • Robert Sadin – producer, mixing (1, 3-17)
  • David Darlington – engineer, mixing (1, 3-17)
  • Clark Germain – engineer
  • Donal Hodgson – engineer, mixing (2)
  • Tim Mitchell – additional engineer, assistant engineer
  • Todd Whitelock – additional engineer
  • Mark Crowley – assistant engineer
  • Joshua Cutsinger – assistant engineer
  • Martin Hollis – assistant engineer
  • Royce Jeffres – assistant engineer
  • Adam Miller – assistant engineer
  • Mark Wilder – mastering (1, 3-15)
  • Maria Triana – mastering assistant (1, 3-15)
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering (2)
  • Dave Sandford – production coordinator
  • Dana Wise – production coordinator
  • Joseph Hutchinson – package design, artwork
  • Jim & Anne Gable - Executive Producers, Directors: "If On A Winter's Night", Recording Studio Documentary Film
  • Tony Molina Filmworks – LP photography cover, LP liner notes package photography. Director of Photography "If On A Winter's Night" Documentary Film.

Studios

  • Recorded at Steerpike Studio (Wiltshire, England); Villa Il Palagio (Florence, Italy); The Source (Malibu, Florida); Clinton Recording Studio, Manhattan Center Studios and Seven Seas Studio (New York City, New York).
  • Mixed at Steerpike Studio; Villa Il Palagio; Clinton Recording Studio, Burning Kite Digital and Bass Hit Studios (New York City, New York).
  • Tracks 1 and 3–17 mastered at Battery Studios (New York City, New York); Track 2 mastered at Gateway Mastering (Portland, Maine).

Charts

Certifications
Certifications for If on a Winter's Night...
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[50] Gold 15,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[51] Gold 40,000^
France (SNEP)[52] Platinum 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[53] Gold 100,000^
Hungary (MAHASZ)[54] Platinum 6,000^
Italy (FIMI)[55] Platinum 70,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[56] 4× Platinum 80,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[57] Gold 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[58] Silver 60,000*
United States (RIAA)[59] Gold 544,000[60]

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

See also

References
  1. "Critic Reviews for If on a Winter's Night...". Metacritic. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  2. Erlewine, Stephen. "If on a Winter's Night..." Allmusic. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
  3. Wood, Mikael (13 November 2009). "Sting, "If on a Winter's Night..."". Billboard. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  4. Rodman, Sarah (26 October 2009). "Sting relishes a bleak and beautiful season". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  5. Simpson, Dave (11 December 2009). "Sting: If on a Winters Night". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 11 December 2009.
  6. Gill, Andy (30 October 2009). "If on a Winter's Night..." The Independent. London. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  7. Oitmann, Pierre. "Review: If on a Winter's Night...". NU.nl. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  8. Paphides, Pete. "If on a Winter's Night..." The Times. London. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  9. "Jingle sells: A-list Christmas albums".
  10. Daniel Kreps (18 June 2009). "Sting to Return This Fall With If on a Winter's Night... | Music News". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 19 June 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  11. "STING If On A Winter's Night... - 1 CD". Deutsche Grammophon. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  12. "If On A Winter's Night..." Discography. Sting.com. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  13. "Sting announces winter album for fall". Billboard. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  14. "Sting The Traveler – Classical TV interview". Classicaltv.com. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  15. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 268.
  16. "Austriancharts.at – Sting – If on a Winter's Night..." (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
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  56. "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2010 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
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