Secret Garden
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Led by the duo of Norwegian composer, arranger, and pianist Rolf Løvland and Irish violinist and singer Fionnuala Sherry, Secret Garden is an Irish-Norwegian band that specializes in new instrumental music. The group gained notoriety when they won the 1995 Eurovision Song Contest, singing "Nocturne" on behalf of Norway. Throughout their more than 25-year collaboration, they have sold millions of albums worldwide, many of which achieved platinum status in multiple nations.
In 1995, the group's song "Nocturne" won Norway's second-ever Eurovision Song Contest. It was the only time that an entirely instrumental song had won the Eurovision Song Contest; screenwriter Petter Skavlan had added a few lines in Norwegian to make sure the entry complied with the contest's regulations. The song was performed by Gunnhild Tvinnereim, a Norwegian singer, during the Eurovision Song Contest. Hans Fredrik Jacobsen, a penny whistle player, and Åsa Jinder, a Swedish nyckelharpist, also performed on the song, but they are not regular members of the group. The song "La det swinge" (Let it swing), written by Rolf Løvland ten years prior, helped Norway win its first Eurovision Song Contest in 1985.
Their first album, "Songs from a Secret Garden", became a huge hit after their triumph at Eurovision. After selling one million copies worldwide, it went platinum in Korea and Norway, gold in Ireland, Hong Kong, and New Zealand, and it spent two years in the new age charts of Billboard magazine in 1996 and 1997. This album's "Heartstrings" was transformed by Barbra Streisand into the song "I've Dreamed of You" for her album A Love Like Ours. "Heartstrings" was also played during her nuptials with James Brolin. In 1997, they released White Stones, their sophomore album, which peaked at number ten on the Billboard New Age charts. Their third studio album, Dawn of a New Century, was released in 1999 and once more had lyrics by Petter Skavlan from Norway. Once in a Red Moon, their studio album from 2001, was also well-received internationally and peaked at number ten on Billboard's new age chart. Dreamcatcher, a compilation album, was made available in 2000. In 2004, Secret Garden embarked on a tour through Australia and New Zealand, promoting their Dreamcatcher: Best Of album, which peaked at number one on both the Australian New Age and ARIA top 50 album charts. Their tenth album, Storyteller, was released in 2019 following the release of multiple other albums.
In 1995, the group's song "Nocturne" won Norway's second-ever Eurovision Song Contest. It was the only time that an entirely instrumental song had won the Eurovision Song Contest; screenwriter Petter Skavlan had added a few lines in Norwegian to make sure the entry complied with the contest's regulations. The song was performed by Gunnhild Tvinnereim, a Norwegian singer, during the Eurovision Song Contest. Hans Fredrik Jacobsen, a penny whistle player, and Åsa Jinder, a Swedish nyckelharpist, also performed on the song, but they are not regular members of the group. The song "La det swinge" (Let it swing), written by Rolf Løvland ten years prior, helped Norway win its first Eurovision Song Contest in 1985.
Their first album, "Songs from a Secret Garden", became a huge hit after their triumph at Eurovision. After selling one million copies worldwide, it went platinum in Korea and Norway, gold in Ireland, Hong Kong, and New Zealand, and it spent two years in the new age charts of Billboard magazine in 1996 and 1997. This album's "Heartstrings" was transformed by Barbra Streisand into the song "I've Dreamed of You" for her album A Love Like Ours. "Heartstrings" was also played during her nuptials with James Brolin. In 1997, they released White Stones, their sophomore album, which peaked at number ten on the Billboard New Age charts. Their third studio album, Dawn of a New Century, was released in 1999 and once more had lyrics by Petter Skavlan from Norway. Once in a Red Moon, their studio album from 2001, was also well-received internationally and peaked at number ten on Billboard's new age chart. Dreamcatcher, a compilation album, was made available in 2000. In 2004, Secret Garden embarked on a tour through Australia and New Zealand, promoting their Dreamcatcher: Best Of album, which peaked at number one on both the Australian New Age and ARIA top 50 album charts. Their tenth album, Storyteller, was released in 2019 following the release of multiple other albums.
