Editorial Review:

Amazon.com:
Recorded at St. Luke's Cathedral in London, The Journey and the Labyrinth continues Sting and lute player Edin Karamazov's exploration of the music of John Dowland. The bulk of this material first appeared on 2006's Songs from the Labyrinth. Performed live and placed in a setting concurrent with the life of the 16th-century composer, the songs feel tied to their origins in profound ways. The grand room's ambiance is made apparent with the reverberating applause at the close of each selection. The closing two numbers show how this 400-year-old music has aspects very much in sync with relatively contemporary works. Both Robert Johnson's "Hellhound on My Trail" and Sting's own Police hit "Message in a Bottle" utilize crisply delineated melodies and spare but robust accompaniment. A DVD is included in the set, as well. Elegantly produced, it not only offers the live performance featured on the CD, but also provides Sting's own thoughtfully articulated connections to this still vibrantly romantic music. --David Greenberger

Album Description:
On the heels of his acclaimed recording, Songs from the Labyrinth, Sting furthers his fascination with Elizabethan composer John Dowland (1563-1626) on The Journey and the Labyrinth: The Music of John Dowland. This new DVD/CD package includes an extended version of Sting's first-ever PBS special from Thirteen/WNET New York's Great Performances (airing February 26th, 2007), as well as a live bonus audio CD.



Sting recently released the striking CD Songs from the Labyrinth, which introduced audiences to his passion for Dowland. With an astounding thirteen weeks and counting as Billboard's #1 Traditional Classical album, the record, called "vivid and romantic" by the Wall Street Journal, has resonated with Sting and Dowland aficionados alike. The album also captured the top spot on the classical charts not only in the U.S. but also in England, Canada, France and Germany.



The Journey and the Labyrinth: The Music of John Dowland, directed and produced by the Emmy-award winning team Jim Gable and Ann Kim of Graying & Balding, Inc., delves deeper into Sting's relationship with the sixteenth-century figure, who has captivated generations with his songs composed primarily for lute, which Sting tackles along with esteemed lutenist Edin Karamazov. Filmed appropriately at Lake House, Sting's 16-century manor house in Wiltshire, and in the ancient gardens of Il Palagio, his home in Italy, the DVD also features the performers before a live audience at St. Luke's Church in London.



Interspersed between performances of such timeless Dowland songs such as "Can She Excuse My Wrongs," "Come Again," and "Flow My Tears," are discussions with musicologists David Pinto and Anthony Rooley of the composer's place in music history and his relevance today, plus recitations by Sting from Dowland's personal correspondence.



In a rare live appearance performing Dowland's music, Sting and Karamazov's concert at St. Luke's Church in London was also captured as a live audio recording and serves as the bonus CD included in the package. Featuring selections from Labyrinth, the CD also contains the consummate hit "Message in a Bottle" arranged for lute, as well as a rendition of the Robert Johnson blues classic, "Hell Hound."



More Sting

Fields of Gold

The Dream of the Blue Turtles

Songs from the Labyrinth

Rating: - Sting! Who knew!
I'm an early music fan. I also love the work of John Dowland, have lived in Denmark, and visited the castle of King Christian IV where Dowland spent an unhappy time. I resisted having anything to do with this DVD/CD at first, until the PBS presentation that showed Sting at his castle in the U.K. with the amazing lute player. Now I tell all my early-music friends that, yes, the CD is good, but the DVD is better! It's not what we've been used to hearing, but it's an interesting and world-view-expanding ... Read More

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Rating: - Surprisingly enjoyable....
I have been a Sting/Police fan since my youth, and I have to admit - I was very skeptical when I first heard about this latest venture from Sting. After hearing some of the tracks, the disc began to grow on me. The DVD is the highlight here. Beautifully photographed, and intelligently produced. The performances in and around Sting's Tuscan villa are breathtaking. The live performances are nice as well. Very little was known about this John Dowland man, but he seems to have been quite the character. I'm ... Read More

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Rating: - The Journey & The Labyrinth
The album was just fantastic! Very different from Sting's usual music. He should do more of it.

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Rating: - To buy or not to buy, that is the question
When I was younger, I went on a wine-appreciation course. The first thing I was told was: "Don't let snobs dictate your taste to you: if you like chilled red wine with fish, *drink* chilled red wine with fish!"

Over the years, I have found this to be good advice, and not just about wine.

70 years ago, Andrés Segovia played the Bach Chaconne for the first time in Paris. He said "I could measure my success by the rage of the violinists." But the guitarists didn't care. Nowadays ... Read More

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Rating: - Enchanting, visually stunning
It seems at first like Sting really stretched on this one, but if you're a dedicated fan, you'll see that his career has been leading here all along. Think of "St. Agnes and the Burning Train" on his "Soul Cages" CD. The four-hundred-year-old music of John Dowland is haunting, and Sting brings it to vibrant life with reverence and enthusiasm. Listen, and you'll be drawn into an older world that at times feels surprisingly familiar, a world of love with all it's faces, melencholy, religious persecution, and ... Read More