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Songs From a Secret Garden
Secret Garden
Songs From a Secret Garden
Genres: Folk, New Age, Pop, Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (13) - Disc #1

Picture a square with Clannad, pianist David Lanz, Mannheim Steamroller, and the musicians of Riverdance at its corners. Somewhere within those stylistic borders you will encounter the European duo Secret Garden. The popul...  more »

     

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CD Details

All Artists: Secret Garden
Title: Songs From a Secret Garden
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Philips
Original Release Date: 4/16/1996
Release Date: 4/16/1996
Genres: Folk, New Age, Pop, Classical
Styles: British & Celtic Folk, Meditation, Easy Listening, Vocal Pop
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
Other Editions: Songs From a Secret Garden
UPCs: 731452823021, 0731452823021

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Picture a square with Clannad, pianist David Lanz, Mannheim Steamroller, and the musicians of Riverdance at its corners. Somewhere within those stylistic borders you will encounter the European duo Secret Garden. The popular twosome--Irish violinist Fionnuala (fi-NOO-la) Sherry and Norwegian pianist/keyboardist Rolf Lovland--have attracted a sizable following with their heart-touching specialty: a wistful, violin-rooted, pop-folk-classical melange that often strikes the ear as a film score in search of some delicate romantic tale. Songs from a Secret Garden is the duo's debut recording from 1995, and it principally offers a series of pensive dialogues between Sherry's stately violin and Lovland's subdued piano, yielding equal measures of sweetness and melancholy. Whistles, pipes, percussion, strings, and ethereal voices serve as embellishments. At times you may sense you're being serenaded by strolling musicians with a heavy sentimental streak; at other times you may feel genuinely moved--perhaps by something as lovely as the reverential "Sigma" and its sublime, Gregorian-like choral passages. Only one uptempo tune, "The Rap," surfaces here; a few others would have been welcomed. And yes, this is the disc where you will find "Heartstrings," the composition that once smote Barbra Streisand's heart. She eventually acquired the rights to the piece, inserted lyrics, renamed it "I've Dreamed of You" (found on A Love Like Ours), and sang it to James Brolin during the couple's 1998 wedding. --Terry Wood

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Member CD Reviews

Joan Z. (swiftriverwitch) from DOWLING PARK, FL
Reviewed on 1/21/2014...
5 stars. My favorite of Secret Garden CD's. Lovely and up-lifting, it is spell binding for a relaxing massage. Joan Z.
Anthia C. from CANBY, CA
Reviewed on 11/1/2012...
Great musical piece
Ryn W. (VermicioussKnid) from LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA
Reviewed on 5/16/2011...
This CD brings back pleasant memories! I agree with the other review that said it could be for a lullaby collection, but I used it instead for a serene relaxation. Listening to this album, I felt as if my mini destress/music break was more effective. I could picture myself listening to this music in the waiting lounge of a beauty spa, after finishing a divine body scrub, about to be called in for my deep tissue massage.
Hermine R. (HERmusic) from MIAMI SHORES, FL
Reviewed on 9/8/2007...
Music so beautiful it brings tears to your eyes yet joy to your heart.
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

CD Reviews

Lush, serene...a secret garden all your own.
Mama Kimmberli | Boonies - Southwest, Chicago | 08/08/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)

"Perfect candlelit dinner music. My husband and I often sit on the sofa running our fingers thru each other's hair, falling in love all over again as we listen. A seductive collection; as you're listening to this delicious assortment of classical/modern dream music you'll truly feel alive. The haunting voice in the first song, Nocturne, will lull you into a free-floating state of being. As you continue to listen to such lovely pieces as sensual Sigma and sweet Adagio, you'll find yourself in another world. Your senses will spring alive to the riveting pulse of The Rap. And, to complete the enticing package, you'll end with the delicate Ode to Simplicity. I strongly recommend buying this CD for yourself. I also recommend giving it to a new mom at a baby shower (it's wonderful lullaby music), to a newlywed couple along with a bottle of scented massage oil or to anyone who's ill. This is by-far the most stress-relieving and relaxing CD I've ever owned. Sure to become a classic among your collection. So, light some incense, slip into a fuzzy bathrobe and sip some wine as you slip away..."
A relaxing, soulful journey through your own secret garden..
Veggiechiliqueen | 07/01/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard "Songs from a Secret Garden" playing in a music store eight years ago, and I was entranced from the very first note. The music was a blend of classical, Celtic and Norwegian, a stunning combination of piano, violin, orchestra and voice. It was unlike anything I'd ever heard before: deeply moving, relaxing, meditative, a journey to a secret garden, perfect music for reflection on a rainy day.Secret Garden is made up of Norwegian composer Rolf Lovland on piano and Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry. They have since released four other CDs: "White Stones," "Dawn of a New Century," "Dreamcatcher" (a best-of compilation taken from the first three releases), and "Once in a Red Moon," but for me "Songs from a Secret Garden" remains their masterpiece. It is by turns gentle, romantic, melancholy, playful and joyous. There is a Celtic element on some of the songs ("Sigma," with an Irish-language chorus and a boy soprano, "The Rap,"), but it is not as marked as their later releases, which to me sound like Riverdance imitations and have lost all of the "Secret Garden" magic for me. "Nocturne" features the stunning vocals of Gunnhild Tvinnereim, and this was the song that first catapulted Secret Garden to fame (it won the 1995 Eurovision song contest for Norway). My other favourite songs from the collection are "Songs from a Secret Garden" and "Sigma." (I was lucky enough to pick up a copy of the sheet music to "Songs from a Secret Garden" and I play selections from it every day. The foreword is in English and Norwegian, and there are additional notes by Rolf regarding performance tips and inspirations behind the songs. If you play piano, this is a worthy investment for a Secret Garden fan. The collection features all thirteen songs from "Songs from a Secret Garden" and is available at their official website at www.secretgarden.no)This is still a very popular album even though it was released in 1994: it is one of BMG Music Club's top-selling classical CDs, Barbara Streisand did a cover of "Heartstrings" for her wedding, adding lyrics and renaming it "I've Dreamed of You," and some of my favourite places in Québec City use "Songs from a Secret Garden" as background music (Aux Anciens Canadiens, 34 Rue Saint-Louis, Domaine Steinbach, 2205, chemin Royal
Saint-Pierre de l'Île d'Orléans).This is the only CD I reach for after a long day. The stress just melts away and my spirits are lifted instantly. "Songs from a Secret Garden" is perfect for anyone seeking a quiet moment in their lives, a moment to reflect, dream, love, and explore their own secret garden."