"This album is dedicated to the memory of my mother- Ingrid Undsaet Lovland who gave me the gift of music and taught me the meaning of the most important word in my childhood- fantasy
She passed away during the last days of this production"
Forever in my heart"- Rolf Lovland
Artwork
Overview ( from discogs.com/ cduniverse
Label: Universal – 548 678-2
Released: Mar 26, 2002DURATION: 51:11
Produced by Rolf Lovland and Fionnuala Sherry
Released: Mar 26, 2002DURATION: 51:11
Produced by Rolf Lovland and Fionnuala Sherry
- Recorded At – Windmill Lane Studios, Ambience Studios, Secret Studio,Air Studios, Cross Studio
- Mixed At – Windmill Lane Studios
- Produced At – Windmill Lane Studio
- Mastered At – Cutting Room
- Designed At – Virtual Garden
- 'Global C' (Track 12) is a contribution of 66 piano players recorded and mixed together into the final chord
Tracklisting
1.
Awakening
2.
You Raise Me Up
3.
Silent Wings
4.
Greenwaves
5.
Invitation
6.
Duo
7.
Belonging
8.
Gates of Dawn
9.
The Promise
10.
Fairytale
11.
Once in a Red Moon
12.
Elegie
Awakening
2.
You Raise Me Up
3.
Silent Wings
4.
Greenwaves
5.
Invitation
6.
Duo
7.
Belonging
8.
Gates of Dawn
9.
The Promise
10.
Fairytale
11.
Once in a Red Moon
12.
Elegie
Artist credit
- Backing Vocals – Marian Lisland (tracks: 4, 8), Per Øystein Sørensen (tracks: 4, 8), Rolf Lovland (tracks: 4, 8)
- Bagpipes [Uilleann Pipes] – Mick O'Brien (tracks: 4, 5)
- Bagpipes [Uilleann Pipes], Tin Whistle – Liam O'Flynn (tracks: 2)
- Bass – Per Elias Drabløs (tracks: 3 to 5, 7, 8, 10, 12)
- Cello – Julian Lloyd Webber (tracks: 6)
- Choir – Anúna (tracks: 2, 8, 12), London Community Gospel Choir (tracks: 2)
- Clarinet – John Finucane (tracks: 11)
- Coordinator [Choir Organised By] – Yvonne White
- Coordinator [Orchestra Organised By] – Tommy Kane
- Design [Cover Design And Booklet] – Anne-C. Holm, Sigrid Therese Pfanzelter
- Directed By [Anúna] – Michael McGlynn (tracks: 2, 8, 12)
- Engineer [Assistant, Dublin] – Quentin Guiné
- Engineer [Assistant, London] – Jake Jackson, Ricky Graham (2)
- Guitar – Des Moore (tracks: 4, 7, 11, 12), Steve Cooney (tracks: 5, 8, 10)
- Harmonium – Rolf Lovland (tracks: 1, 3)
- Harmonium, Keyboards – Bjørn Ole Rasch (tracks: 5, 8, 10), Kjetil Bjerkestrand (tracks: 4, 7, 12)
- Harp – Andrea Marlish (tracks: 3)
- Harp [Concert] – Andrea Marlish (tracks: 4)
- Harp [Irish] – Laoise Kelly (tracks: 7, 10, 12)
- Hurdy Gurdy [Keyharp] – Åsa Jinder (tracks: 1, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12)
- Keyboards – Kjetil Bjerkestrand (tracks: 3, 11), Rolf Lovland (tracks: 11)
- Leader [Gospel Choir Principal] – Bazil Meade (tracks: 2)
- Leader [Orchestra] – Elaine Clark (tracks: 1, 2, 6, 9, 11), Threse Timoney* (tracks: 3 to 5, 7, 8, 10, 12)
- Mandolin, Guitar – Des Moore (tracks: 3)
- Mastered By – Bjørn Engelmann*
- Oboe – Simon Emes (tracks: 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12)
- Oboe, Cor Anglais – Simon Emes (tracks: 3)
- Orchestra [Members Of] – Irish National Symphony Orchestra, RTE Concert Orchestra*
- Organ – Bjørn Ole Rasch (tracks: 2)
- Other [Hair] – Benedikte Hansen
- Other [Stylist / Costumes] – Hilde Ottem Berntsen
- Percussion – Noel Eccles (tracks: 3 to 5, 7, 8, 10, 12)
- Photography By – Nancy Bundt
- Photography By [Assistant] – Nina Reierstad*
- Photography By [Studio Snapshots] – Secret Garden
- Piano – Rolf Lovland (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 9)
- Piano [Global C] – Bjørn Ole Rasch (tracks: 12), Einar Sogstad (tracks: 12), Trond Tellefsen (tracks: 12)
- Producer, Composed By, Arranged By – Rolf Lovland
- Recorded By [Glasgow] – Kim Plannert
- Recorded By [Kristiansand] – Alf Emil Eik
- Recorded By [Oslo] – Trond Engebretsen
- Recorded By, Mixed By, Co-producer – Andrew Boland
- Violin/Co-producer – Fionnuala Sherry
- Whistle – Hans Fredrik Jacobsen (tracks: 3 to 5, 7, 8, 10, 12), Mick O'Brien (tracks: 5)
- Whistle [Willow Whistle] – Hans Fredrik Jacobsen (tracks: 1)
- Zither – Rolf Kristensen (tracks: 4, 7)
Milestones
New Age Billboard Chart: Reached #2 ( A day without rain- Enya was #1!) Platinum Record, Norway
Gold, Korea
Gold, Korea
Review
From popmatters.comBy Marshall Bowden 16 October 2002
Secret Garden has danced on a thin line between authentic Celtic and Scandinavian-inspired music and flaccid, new age claptrap for their entire existence. Thanks to a film, A Night with Secret Garden, shown on PBS in 1999, the group was able to offer an equally attractive visual component to their recorded mix of light classical, Celtic melancholy, and new age frippery. Not only could the group appeal to fans of Celtic popsters like Clannad and Enya, they could also pull in audiences entranced by the likes of Yanni and Sarah Brightman. Their first recording,Songs from a Secret Garden skirted this line very convincingly, while the follow-ups, White Stones and Dawn of a New Century, were less convincing. Once in a Red Moon, their latest effort, is something of a return to form, though if you like your Celtic sounds a bit on the less mannered side, you might steer clear of this group altogether.
The first track, “Awakening” sets the tone: one of melancholy and introspection, which fits the theme of Once in a Red Moon, which turns out to be communication with the divine. “You Lift Me Up” makes this theme explicit, its uplifting hymn-like lyrics delivered by Riverdance’s Brian Kennedy; the lush strings were scored by Andrea Bocelli’s musical director, Steven Mercurio. All is very gorgeous, though unfortunately I couldn’t help but feel I was hearing the hit single from the soundtrack of the next Disney animated feature. That’s either going to give you the willies or make you want to purchase this CD straight away; it should give you a quick read as to which side of the Secret Garden line your tastes fall on. “Silent Wings” is a melancholy little melody that depends on the interplay of Fionnuala Sherry’s violin and Rolf Lovland’s piano. It’s been mentioned that much of Secret Garden’s music sounds like the soundtrack to a romantic film, and here it is all too easy to imagine an Arthurian epic, with Morgan LaFey working her magic under a bright, full moon on the Isle of Avalon.
Scottish singer Karen Matheson, whom Sean Connery described as having “a throat surely touched by the hand of God” contributes to the stunningly beautiful “Greenwaves” and “The Gates of Dawn”, and her singing provides a level of authenticity not always apparent in Secret Garden’s music. “Greenwaves” is like the music of a dream, impossibly beautiful and with wonderful lyrics by songwriter/cabaret singer Ann Hampton Calloway. Ms. Calloway was asked by Barbara Streisand to pen lyrics to the Secret Garden instrumental “Heartstrings”, a song which was played at Streisand’s wedding to James Brolin. Streisand recorded the revised song, “I’ve Dreamed of You” in 1999.
The album gets back to instrumentals on the next three tracks. “Invitations” seems to explore some of the crossover between the music of Ireland/Scotland and that of Lovland’s Nordic homeland. “Invitations” and “Fairytale” are the only things resembling uptempo numbers on the album. “Duo” successfully pairs Sherry’s violin with the cello work of Julian Lloyd Webber. There’s a bit of sameness between this track and the following one, “Belonging”, with the key being minor and the mood reflective. It again raises the specter of soundtrack music, begging the question: how closely does one listen to this music? Therein lies the rub. While Lovland and Sherry, as well as most of their collaborators, are top-notch musicians and composers, they are clearly trying to create music that will reach a wide audience. Trying to create positive, affirming music that will create happiness and peacefulness in those who listen to it is a noble aspiration, but how much substance is there to these compositions? I would say that there is considerably more here to chew on here than in some of Enya’s work, which is all about the beauty of her voice and sometimes lapses into preciousness. On the other hand, I rarely feel as inspired by Secret Garden as I do by the Celtic folk/rock experiments of a band like Wolfstone (up through 1996; their later albums are horrible). While certainly not “authentic” Celtic music, Wolfstone retained plenty of the spring of Celtic reels and jigs while kicking their music up a notch with electric guitar and rock drumming.
Still, there is a lot here to like, and as I said in the beginning, Secret Garden walks the line between reflective beauty and maudlin sentimentality very well on this CD. The title track, with a Middle Eastern tinge, is one of the group’s finest compositions, and provides some real emotional depth. The closing piece, “Elegie” features the voices of the Celtic vocal group Anuna and a final chord that is a composite of “C” chords submitted by fans worldwide in response to the group’s online request. Overall, if you enjoy the music of Clannad or Enya, you won’t be disappointed. Nor will new age music aficionados, though there’s more here for the serious listener than on the typical New Age recording.
Secret Garden has danced on a thin line between authentic Celtic and Scandinavian-inspired music and flaccid, new age claptrap for their entire existence. Thanks to a film, A Night with Secret Garden, shown on PBS in 1999, the group was able to offer an equally attractive visual component to their recorded mix of light classical, Celtic melancholy, and new age frippery. Not only could the group appeal to fans of Celtic popsters like Clannad and Enya, they could also pull in audiences entranced by the likes of Yanni and Sarah Brightman. Their first recording,Songs from a Secret Garden skirted this line very convincingly, while the follow-ups, White Stones and Dawn of a New Century, were less convincing. Once in a Red Moon, their latest effort, is something of a return to form, though if you like your Celtic sounds a bit on the less mannered side, you might steer clear of this group altogether.
The first track, “Awakening” sets the tone: one of melancholy and introspection, which fits the theme of Once in a Red Moon, which turns out to be communication with the divine. “You Lift Me Up” makes this theme explicit, its uplifting hymn-like lyrics delivered by Riverdance’s Brian Kennedy; the lush strings were scored by Andrea Bocelli’s musical director, Steven Mercurio. All is very gorgeous, though unfortunately I couldn’t help but feel I was hearing the hit single from the soundtrack of the next Disney animated feature. That’s either going to give you the willies or make you want to purchase this CD straight away; it should give you a quick read as to which side of the Secret Garden line your tastes fall on. “Silent Wings” is a melancholy little melody that depends on the interplay of Fionnuala Sherry’s violin and Rolf Lovland’s piano. It’s been mentioned that much of Secret Garden’s music sounds like the soundtrack to a romantic film, and here it is all too easy to imagine an Arthurian epic, with Morgan LaFey working her magic under a bright, full moon on the Isle of Avalon.
Scottish singer Karen Matheson, whom Sean Connery described as having “a throat surely touched by the hand of God” contributes to the stunningly beautiful “Greenwaves” and “The Gates of Dawn”, and her singing provides a level of authenticity not always apparent in Secret Garden’s music. “Greenwaves” is like the music of a dream, impossibly beautiful and with wonderful lyrics by songwriter/cabaret singer Ann Hampton Calloway. Ms. Calloway was asked by Barbara Streisand to pen lyrics to the Secret Garden instrumental “Heartstrings”, a song which was played at Streisand’s wedding to James Brolin. Streisand recorded the revised song, “I’ve Dreamed of You” in 1999.
The album gets back to instrumentals on the next three tracks. “Invitations” seems to explore some of the crossover between the music of Ireland/Scotland and that of Lovland’s Nordic homeland. “Invitations” and “Fairytale” are the only things resembling uptempo numbers on the album. “Duo” successfully pairs Sherry’s violin with the cello work of Julian Lloyd Webber. There’s a bit of sameness between this track and the following one, “Belonging”, with the key being minor and the mood reflective. It again raises the specter of soundtrack music, begging the question: how closely does one listen to this music? Therein lies the rub. While Lovland and Sherry, as well as most of their collaborators, are top-notch musicians and composers, they are clearly trying to create music that will reach a wide audience. Trying to create positive, affirming music that will create happiness and peacefulness in those who listen to it is a noble aspiration, but how much substance is there to these compositions? I would say that there is considerably more here to chew on here than in some of Enya’s work, which is all about the beauty of her voice and sometimes lapses into preciousness. On the other hand, I rarely feel as inspired by Secret Garden as I do by the Celtic folk/rock experiments of a band like Wolfstone (up through 1996; their later albums are horrible). While certainly not “authentic” Celtic music, Wolfstone retained plenty of the spring of Celtic reels and jigs while kicking their music up a notch with electric guitar and rock drumming.
Still, there is a lot here to like, and as I said in the beginning, Secret Garden walks the line between reflective beauty and maudlin sentimentality very well on this CD. The title track, with a Middle Eastern tinge, is one of the group’s finest compositions, and provides some real emotional depth. The closing piece, “Elegie” features the voices of the Celtic vocal group Anuna and a final chord that is a composite of “C” chords submitted by fans worldwide in response to the group’s online request. Overall, if you enjoy the music of Clannad or Enya, you won’t be disappointed. Nor will new age music aficionados, though there’s more here for the serious listener than on the typical New Age recording.
Our thoughts of this album
written by Nhung
Once in red moon is the darkest album of SG. It's like a reminder of the past, the call from where we belong and silent moments in our everyday life.The album has only an up tempo track- Invitation. The rest of the songs for us are full of reminiscence. The opening track Awakening (inspired by the 1899 novel of the same name by Kate Chopin.) is close to a discover of ourselves. Unique piano, violin and key fiddle sound leads our mind to where we can look inside.Belonging and Silent wings are the call from the nature,Duo is a perfect marriage of violin and cello sound. And Elegie have a global energy sound of 66 piano players.Once in a red moon is also an album to raise our souls, givess us light to believe and shine ( You raise me up,Greenwave and Gates of Dawn).This album is deeper and more different from others. It;s not only an album for relaxion, but also an album of old memories and life inspirations
Once in red moon is the darkest album of SG. It's like a reminder of the past, the call from where we belong and silent moments in our everyday life.The album has only an up tempo track- Invitation. The rest of the songs for us are full of reminiscence. The opening track Awakening (inspired by the 1899 novel of the same name by Kate Chopin.) is close to a discover of ourselves. Unique piano, violin and key fiddle sound leads our mind to where we can look inside.Belonging and Silent wings are the call from the nature,Duo is a perfect marriage of violin and cello sound. And Elegie have a global energy sound of 66 piano players.Once in a red moon is also an album to raise our souls, givess us light to believe and shine ( You raise me up,Greenwave and Gates of Dawn).This album is deeper and more different from others. It;s not only an album for relaxion, but also an album of old memories and life inspirations