May
- June 2003
Dear Friends,
Welcome to our May/June journal. As we write this we are on a summer break,
and hope you are also getting the opportunity to have some R & R this season!
We hope you checked out our new web site by now. There are still improvements to be done and updates to be edited, but all artwork, layout and flash are complete. We do try to answer all mails, and we’re always delighted to receive them. At the moment there is unfortunately a small backlog because of our recent tours, but we will get to respond to all of you as soon as possible.
This last period before the summer was busy but exciting, starting with a new round of demo recordings in Kristiansand, Norway, at the beginning of May. Knowing that we had a huge concert on the 31st with the Irish RTE Philharmonic Choir and the RTE Concert Orchestra, Rolf was inspired during the recording to write a special new song for the occasion. We called it Psalm and it is scored for full orchestra, choir and our band. We asked our friend Brendan Graham, who wrote the lyrics for “You Raise Me Up” and “Gates Of Dawn”, to pen the lyrics for us. Once again he captured the mood of the music and wrote beautiful lyrics. After demoing “Psalm” and some other new songs, it was back home in order to prepare for the Irish concert.
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As well as having the opportunity to premier a new song for this occasion, we came up with the idea of creating a special orchestral overture to open the concert. The overture is aprox 8 minutes long, featuring a collage of Secret Garden’s music, specially scored to highlight the versatility and sound of the orchestra. It was a big challenge to re-arrange our music in a new and different way. Rolf arranged and orchestrated, and many sleepless nights were spent fine-tuning the finished 60 page score!
Once all preparations were in place, we joined up with the RTE Concert Orchestra and Philharmonic Choir for a few days of rehearsals. It was strange and wonderful for Fionnuala to be back on her old ground again. The concert was held in the new Helix Concert Hall in Dublin. To hear the overture that night, conducted by Gareth Hudson, was a special moment for us, and years of memories came flooding back. Gareth Hudson, the orchestra and choir made us feel very welcome, and we will cherish this concert for a long time to come. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to perform this programme with other orchestras and choirs in other parts of the world.
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At the beginning of June we had an opportunity to perform for a special charity in Ireland called “To Russia with Love”. This Charity has been helping many needy Russian children, funding and improving their orphanages, medical care and schooling.
We then returned to Norway
to prepare for the Korean/Japan concert tour.
This was our 6th tour of South Korea, and this time we got to see more of the
country than before, touring the country by bus, visiting Busan, Dae Jeon, Jeon
Ju, Kwang Ju and Suwon. Arriving in a typhoon was not very pleasant, and we
worried that our first concert in Busan would suffer as a result. But no, the
Koreans braved the weather and we played to a huge audience on that first night.
Thanks to all those who ventured out in such bad conditions! It felt like a
special tour as we visited these places for the first time, and were constantly
delighted by the wonderful halls we performed in. The promotion company Vincero
were great as always, looking after every little detail so well.
For this tour the Irish Singer and Harpist Katie McMahon joined us, as well
as the Irish Uilleann piper John McSherry, who performed with us for the first
time.
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After the whirlwind tour of Korea we went back to Japan to perform two concerts in the Orchard Hall concert hall. This is a beautiful concert hall with great sound. We stayed right in the heart of Tokyo and had a chance to wander around, and be tourists. Still amazes us coming from Norway and Ireland how heavily populated the major Asian cities are! We loved Tokyo and found the people so nice and welcoming. We received many beautiful gifts, which now have special places in our homes. After one of the concerts our promoter Promax brought us to a traditional Japanese restaurant. The ambience, the food and the way in which it was served, made this one of our most memorable culinary experiences to date! Look forward to going back!
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This tour ended a long season for us, but it was wonderful to finish on a performing note. We thank Vincero and Promax for inviting us over and for been wonderful hosts throughout.
In August we are back in
studio continuing to develop music for our next album. In September we embark
on a six-week tour in Norway. The concept of this tour is a little different.
For the first time we will perform with a smaller ensemble, trying to emphasize
on the more intimate sides of our music. Our two guest-performers will be Katie
McMahon on vocals and harp, and Steinar Ofsdal on whistles. How that goes we’ll
report in the next journal.
Finally we’re reached gold album in Ireland, after several weeks with top positions in the Classical charts both with Once in a red moon and with Dreamcatcher. Thanks for the continued support!
Love,
Fionnuala and Rolf
