Sting plays his song "Russians" live in concert with the San Francisco Symphony before a sold-out crowd at Davies Symphony Hall on February 15, 2024. Russians appeared on Sting's debut solo album, The Dream Of The Blue Turtles (1985). Its melody is based on “Lieutenant Kije Suite” by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev. This chamber version was arranged by American composer Rob Mathes, who also served as the concert's musical director and played piano and keyboards. Sting is a Grammy Award winning British singer-songwriter from Newcastle, England who was a founding member of the band The Police. This was one of only a handful of shows Sting is playing with symphony orchestras, including an upcoming show with the Philadelphia Orchestra on March 8 and 9.
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Russians lyrics:
In Europe and America
There’s a growing feeling of hysteria
Conditioned to respond to all the threats
In the rhetorical speeches of the Soviets
Mr. Khrushchev said we will bury you
I don’t subscribe to this point of view
It would be such an ignorant thing to do
If the Russians love their children too
How can I save my little boy
From Oppenheimer's deadly toy?
There is no monopoly of common sense
On either side of the political fence
We share the same biology
Regardless of ideology
Believe me when I say to you
I hope the Russians love their children too
There is no historical precedent
To put the words in the mouth of the president
There’s no such thing as a winnable war
It’s a lie we don’t believe anymore
Mr. Reagan says we will protect you
I don’t subscribe to this point of view
Believe me when I say to you
I hope the Russians love their children too
We share the same biology
Regardless of ideology
What might save us me and you
Is that the Russians love their children too
Written by Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner a/k/a Sting
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Sting official bio:
Composer, singer-songwriter, actor, author, and activist Sting was born in Newcastle, England, before moving to London in 1977 to form the Police with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers. The band released five studio albums, earned six Grammy Awards and two BRIT Awards, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.
One of the world’s most distinctive solo artists, Sting, managed by Martin Kierszenbaum/Cherrytree Music Company, has received an additional 11 Grammy Awards, two BRIT Awards, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, four Oscar nominations, a Tony nomination, Billboard Magazine’s Century Award, and MusiCares 2004 Person of the Year. In 2003 he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to music. Also a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, he has received the Kennedy Center Honors, American Music Award of Merit, and Polar Music Prize. Sting has been awarded honorary doctorates of music by the University of Northumbria, Berklee College of Music, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and Brown University at its 250th commencement ceremony. Throughout his illustrious career, Sting has sold 100 million albums from his combined work with the Police and as a solo artist.
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Edwin Outwater official bio:
Edwin Outwater regularly works with the world’s top orchestras, institutions, and artists to reinvent the concert experience. His ability to cross genres has led to collaborations with Metallica, Wynton Marsalis, Renée Fleming, and Yo-Yo Ma. He is music director of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and music director laureate of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
Recent appearances include performances with New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and the New World Symphony, as well as the Royal Philharmonic in a multi-concert series opening the Steinmetz Hall in Florida. He also served as a producer and musical advisor for the National Symphony Orchestra’s 50th Anniversary Concert at the Kennedy Center. In December 2022, he premiered A Christmas Gaiety at the Royal Albert Hall with Peaches Christ and BBC Concert Orchestra.
Mr. Outwater holds a long association with San Francisco Symphony since making his debut in November 2001. In the 2022-23 season, he led the first Symphony performances of Gabriel Kahane’s emergency shelter intake form in collaboration with the composer and a program with Seth MacFarlane. He was formerly San Francisco Symphony Resident Conductor, Director of Summer Concerts, and Music Director of San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra.