Universal Music Sting - Live In Berlin (Blu-ray)

Great performance and songs but for me unlistenable in 5.1. The surround remix is very poor, because the the Stings vocal is also in the back speakers and his voice is somewhat harsh and "too big" in the soundstage. Sounds almost like if you would listen to stereo CD through "5 ch Stereo" effect. I bought this disc, because I am great Sting fan and I was thrilled when I hear that surround sound would be mixed by mr. Elliot Scheiner, for me the greatest surround sound remixer in the world - he's responsible for one of the greatest sounding discs (Eagles:Hell freezes Over, Roy Orbison:Black & White, Porcupine Tree:In Absentia, R.e.m. ,.......). But seems like he didn't have his day, when he mixed Sting. Pity. Even the stereo track is dissapointing, because Sting's vocal is too dominant and too harsh for my taste. Instruments are sounding ok. On the other hand, the picture quality is simply stuning. And performance also.

A very good mix of Sting and the Orchestra,The surround channels are strong but I found it pleasing. There is no audio compression as reported in previous review. This Bluray concert has an epic feel to it .Great Performance,Audio and Video.

Yes it is loud! Due undoubtedly to the same heavy audio compression used in the "loudness" wars that had raged for years in the CD music industry. It's a pity that Blue-ray music has entered the war too. I find that music Blu-rays tend to be all over the place when it comes to audio mixing (unlike movies which are almost always brilliantly mixed). You never know what is going to emerge from the surrounds. In this case Sting's (singing!) voice is almost as loud in the surrounds as it is from the centre speaker. I compared the mix with a previous Sting concert DVD which put the voice where it should be - in the centre speaker. Music clarity excellent. Speaking clarity poor. Mix disappointing. Nevertheless, a fabulous Sting concert!!!! Finally - why do Blu-ray buyers miss out on the bonus CD you would get if you bought the DVD?

There will probably be two camps who react quite differently to this release. While both camps may be ardent Sting fans, one group will probably love this completely different side to one of their favorite artists, while the other camp may be asking, "Why?" Sting has always had large ambitions, and those are firmly on display in this gargantuan concert. If you're willing to go with the flow, and overlook the sometimes silly pretentiousness (who needs cellists standing up, for crying out loud?), there's a lot of very fine music here to enjoy. Recommended .

WOW! What a great concert blu! STING LIVE IN BERLIN is a live performance of his recently released 'Symphonicity', in which he has taken some of his solo hits, as well as some Police hits, and re-imagined them with the accompany of an orchestra. In this case, it's the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, and it's a great listening experiance. PQ and AQ are outstanding. A must have for any fan of the Police, Sting, or great music!