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
Released	21 October 2009 (2009-10-21)
Genre	Pop, folk, classical
Label	Deutsche Grammophon Cherrytree
Producer	Robert Sadin
Sting chronology
Songs from the Labyrinth (2006) If on a Winter's Night... (2009) Symphonicities (2010)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	43/100[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
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

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Gabriel's Message"	Traditional	2:32
2.	"Soul Cake"	Paul Stookey, Tracey Batteast, Elena Mezetti	3:26
3.	"There Is No Rose of Such Virtue"	Anonymous	4:01
4.	"The Snow It Melts the Soonest"	Traditional	3:42
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"	Sting	5:45
11.	"Balulalow"	Music by Peter Warlock, lyrics traditional	3:08
12.	"The Cherry-Tree Carol"	Traditional	3:10
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 Sting	2:48
15.	"You Only Cross My Mind in Winter"	Music by J. S. Bach, lyrics by Sting	2:36

Bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(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

Chart positions

Weekly charts Chart (2009–2010) Peak position Austrian Albums Chart[15] 12 Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[16] 7 Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[17] 5 Danish Albums Chart[18] 7 Dutch Albums Chart[19] 10 Finnish Albums Chart[20] 7 French Albums Chart[21] 8 German Albums Chart[22] 5 Greek Albums Chart[23] 11 Hungarian Albums Chart[24] 8 Italian Albums Chart[25] 4 Norwegian Albums Chart[26] 7 Polish Albums Chart[27] 1 Portuguese Albums Chart[28] 25 Spanish Albums Chart[29] 18 Swedish Albums Chart (Wallonia)[30] 12 Swiss Albums Chart[31] 13 UK Albums Chart[32] 15 US Billboard 200[33] 6

Year-end charts Chart (2009) Rank Polish Albums Chart[34] 2 Chart (2010) Rank German Albums Chart[35] 93 US Billboard 200 90[36]

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[37]	Gold	15,000^*
Canada (Music Canada)[38]	Gold	40,000^^
France (SNEP)[39]	Platinum	100,000^*
Germany (BVMI)[40]	Gold	100,000^^
Hungary (MAHASZ)[41]	Platinum	2,000^^
Italy (FIMI)[42]	Platinum	60,000^*
Poland (ZPAV)[43]	4× Platinum	80,000^*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[44]	Gold	15,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[45]	Silver	60,000^^
United States (RIAA)[46]	Gold	544,000[47]
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Personnel

• Sting – vocals, percussion, guitar, lute, snare drum, composer, arranger
• Mary Macmaster – harp, vocals
• Dominic Miller – guitar
• David Mansfield – dulcimer, twelve-string guitar, mandocello, mandolin
• Edin Karamazov – lute
• Dean Parks – guitar, mandolin
• David Hartley – harmonium
• Julian Sutton – accordion
• David Sancious – Hammond organ
• Ira Coleman – bass guitar
• Kathryn Tickell – Northumbrian smallpipes, violin
• Chris Botti, Chris Gekker, Ibrahim Maalouf – trumpet
• Chris Dudley – trombone
• Leslie Neish, Marcus Rojas – tuba
• John Clark – horn
• John Ellis – bass clarinet
• Kenny Garrett – soprano saxophone
• Daphna Mor – recorder
• Vincent Ségal, Melissa Meell, Charles Curtis – cello
• Daniel Hope, Peter Tickell – violin
• Dov Scheindlin – viola
• MusicAeterna – strings
• Jack DeJohnette – drums
• Bashiri Johnson – drums, percussion
• Bassam Saba – ney, oud
• Daniel Druckman – drums, snare
• Bijan Chemirani, Rhani Krija, Cyro Baptista, Daniel Freedman, Donald Hay – percussion
• Joe Sumner – background vocals
• Lisa Fischer – background vocals
• The Webb Sisters – background vocals
• Jasmine Thomas – background vocals
• Stile Antico – vocal ensemble

Production

• Robert Sadin – arranger, conductor, mixing
• Bob Ludwig – mastering[48]

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. 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 18 May 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
15. "Austria Top 40 – Sting – If on a Winter's Night... (album)" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
16. "Charts Vlaanderen – Sting – If on a Winter's Night... (album)" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
17. "Charts Belgique Francophone – Sting – If on a Winter's Night... (album)" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
18. "IFPI Danmarks Officielle Hitliste – Sting – If on a Winter's Night... (album)". danishcharts.dk. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
19. "Dutch – Sting – If on a Winter's Night... (album)" (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
20. "Finnish Charts – Sting – If on a Winter's Night... (album)". Finnishcarts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
21. "Classements – Sting – If on a Winter's Night... (album)" (in French). Lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
22. "Album – Sting, If on a Winter's Night..." (in German). Charts.de. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
23. "Finnish Charts – Sting – If on a Winter's Night... (album)". Greekcharts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
24. "Top 40 album-, DVD- és válogatáslemez-lista". Hivatalos magyar slágerlisták. 15 November 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
25. "Italian Charts – Sting – If on a Winter's Night... (album)". Italiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
26. "VG-lista – Sting – If on a Winter's Night... (album)". Norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
27. "20 grudnia 2010 – sprzedaż w okresie 06.12.2010 – 12.12.2010" (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
28. "Portuguese Charts – Sting – If on a Winter's Night... (album)". Portuguesecharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
29. "Spanish Charts – Sting – If on a Winter's Night... (album)" (in German). Spanishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
30. "Swedish Charts – Sting – If on a Winter's Night... (album)". Swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
31. "Swiss Charts – Sting – If on a Winter's Night... (album)" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
32. "The Official Charts Company – If on a Winter's Night by Sting Search". The Official Charts Company. 6 May 2013.
33. "Music Albums, Top 200 Albums & Music Album Charts". Billboard.com (in Danish). 4 August 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
34. "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Zpav.pl. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
35. "VIVA Album Top 50 – Alle Musikvideos – Chart". VIVA.tv. Archived from the original on 8 January 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
36. "Best of 2010 – Billboard Top 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
37. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2009". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
38. "Canadian album certifications – Sting – If on a Winter's Night". Music Canada.
39. "French album certifications – Sting – If on a Winter's Night..." (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
40. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Sting; 'If on a Winter's Night...')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
41. "Adatbázis – Arany- és platinalemezek – 2009" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ.
42. "Italian album certifications – Sting – If on a Winter's Night" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "If on a Winter's Night" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
43. "Polish album certifications – Sting – If on a Winter's Night" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
44. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Sting; 'If on a Winter's Night...')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
45. "British album certifications – Sting – If on a Winter's Night". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type If on a Winter's Night in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
46. "American album certifications – Sting – If on a Winter's Night". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
47. McClean, Craig (6 November 2010). "Christmas Wishes (Are Made of This)". Billboard. p. 69. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
48. "If on a Winter's Night - Sting | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 January 2017.

External links

• If on a Winter's Night... at Metacritic