A perfect spectacle - At the Festhalle, Sting presented his hits in symphonic grandeur...

At his Frankfurt performance, the British rock star was accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, which wrapped his hits in an opulent soundscape.

Not only when global stars enter their critical years, the question arises again and again after each last CD release: Quo Vadis? Sting never seems to be at a loss for concrete answers. After the 59-year-old, politically and socially committed Brit first focused on the timelessly beautiful Renaissance compositions of John Dowland in 'Songs From The Labyrinth,' then reactivated his band The Police, which had been shelved since 1986, and finally made a name for himself in 2009 with a wintery, Christmassy album called 'If On A Winter's Night,' it was clear: his next artistic career phase would be considerably more opulent.

"Hello Frankfurt!" the slender pop star greets his audience with a friendly grin, clearly enjoying the role of the popular figure. After all, Sting has big plans for the next three hours: "Symphonicity" is the name of the gigantic spectacle, presenting hits and favorite songs in a symphonic setting.

The singer and composer, awarded the CBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2002, chose the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra – a lighter-music branch of the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – as his suitable accompaniment, conducted by Stephen Mercurio. The Frankfurt Festhalle, which was completely packed, couldn't quite sell out, which may also be due to the rather modest ticket prices of €66 to €147.

The album 'Symphonicities' already made it clear that Sting wouldn't suffer artistic shipwreck with his concert kaleidoscope like so many others before him. But how does such a huge orchestra, fronted by a rock band featuring the excellent Australian jazz singer Jo Lawry as second vocalist, guitarist Dominic Miller, drummer David Cossin, and Ira Coleman on bass, perform in the Festhalle, which has long been criticized for its acoustic deficiencies? Absolutely excellent, is the answer.

Sting impresses with his crystal-clear sound right from the start with 'If I Ever Lose My Faith In You'. He delivers a truly crowd-pleasing hit with song number two: 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic', like the evergreens 'Roxanne', 'King Of Pain', and 'Every Breath You Take', which work in delightfully different arrangements from the original, comes from the Police canon.

Sting also presents new solo material: 'An Englishman In New York', an ode to British gay rights activist Quentin Crisp, the Cold War anthem 'Russians' and 'Why Should I Cry For You?', dedicated to his dead father, showcase the full-blooded musician, who occasionally picks up the harmonica, at his best vocally. For the spooky 'Moon Over Bourbon Street,' with Nosferatu's shadow projected onto five gigantic screens, Sting plays the undead.

© Die Welt by Stefan Hentz