Sting has revealed his latest project - an album of sixteenth century music performed on the lute. The album will be released in the autumn on the classical label Deutsche Grammophon.
Here's what Sting had to say about the project...
"About two years ago Dominic [Miller] gave me a gift that he'd had made for me, a lute, a sixteenth century instrument with lots and lots of strings and I sort of became fascinated with it and immersed myself in the lute and lute music. It reminded of an interest I've had for a long time - for almost twenty five years - in the works of John Dowland. John Dowland was a sixteenth century English composer who wrote songs for the lute. He was really the first singer/songwriter that we know of and so a lot of us owe our living to this man. Then we met this guy Edin Karamazov who is a Bosnian lute player and we started discussing Dowland and the idea came up of recording some songs of his for an album.
"That kind of frivolous idea became a reality and it's coming out in October on Deutsche Grammophon and I'm thrilled. It's a delightful record and I think people will be intrigued by it. The album is voice and lute, there are a few four part harmonies that I sing and it's all music from the sixteenth century."
