Songs from a Secret Garden by Secret Garden Philips

Product Description: 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

Customer Reviews

5 stars Amazing feelings
I am a country music/classical rock lover. So who would have known how listening to this CD would make me feel? I cannot use enough peaceful, calm words to describe it. I love this CD. Hope you do, too.

5 stars Fond Memories
I first heard this CD many years ago, having stumbled upon it because of my love of New Age music. It led to two memorable happenings in my life, and I am remembering them now, probably 10 years later: I wanted to play their songs myself on our piano, and I couldn't find the sheet music anywhere. From the internet, I found that it was available outside of the US. A good friend has a sister who lives in Norway, and she was able to buy the sheet music there and mail it to me -- that was my first realization of how small the world is getting.

Another good friend and next-door-neighbor has a father who plays the violin. He's a gentle old man, and he would come from another state to visit his daughter's family. He would sit for hours out in their yard playing wistful and beautiful tunes on his violin. When I first heard Secret Garden's "Nocturne", my First Thought was that George would love this music. I sent him a CD, and he wrote me the most heart-felt note about how their incredible music, and my thinking of him because of it, touched him deeply. He is now in his 90s and I hope he is still listening.

4 stars good
While this cd is obviously tailored towards a stress filled society and is to be recommended for that I personally enjoy the relaxing music of www.borntosingmusic.com The two cds I possess have a variety of stunning sounds tailored towards the relaxation market which I can recommend anyone looking into this particular genre. These cds are highly recommended.

4 stars Incredibly relaxing
Wonderful CD with lots of relaxation. I love the instrumental combinations. It's great to listen to while doing other things, and I actually enjoy listening to it while going through my Yoga poses at the end of the day.

5 stars wonderful cd
The music on this Cd is just beautiful. I listened to it while I was in labor with my second son. It helped me to relax. I highly recommend it.

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