Storyteller is the first new studio album in over five years from Norwegian/Irish duo Secret Garden.
On the day of release (26 April 2019), Fionnuala Sherry and Rolf Løvland have this to say in their newsletter:
“Even though we had great success and response to our “Just the Two of US” album (one of our favourites ), “Live at Kilden” and “You Raise Me Up: The Collection”; “Storyteller” is very special and means so much to us both. From the initial concept of the album to the final mix, its been a truly wonderful journey of writing, arranging, recording, producing and working with some of the most wonderful incredible artists including the incredible Czech National Symphony Orchestra. We have traveled between Norway, Ireland, the UK and the Czech Republic to produce “Storyteller”…
According to pianist Rolf Løvland, Irish-Norwegian neo-classical duo Secret Garden's seventh studio album, Winter Poem, was inspired by the "darkness that surrounds the Scandinavian winter." While there's a genuine sense of melancholy laced throughout its largely instrumental 11 tracks, fans of their luscious new age sound needn't fear a new gothic reinvention, as there's very little here likely to find its way onto a horror movie soundtrack. Indeed, the stately piano chords and sweeping string arrangements (courtesy of the Czech National Symphony Orchestra) of opener "Make a Wish" feel more suited to a Downton Abbey-esque costume drama, while elsewhere the lilting "Anticipation" recalls the emotive ivory-tinkling of Ludovico Einaudi's understated scores, the more uptempo "Fionnuala's Cookie Jar" is a highly percussive Irish jig packed with Celtic fiddles and tin whistles…
Introducing the first new Secret Garden collection in 18 years. Secret Garden features Norwegian composer-keyboard artist Rolf Løvland and Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry. The band first came to international prominence when they won the 1995 Eurovision Song Contest with the song ‘Nocturne’, which features on this collection.
Savage Garden is the eponymous debut studio album by Australian pop duo Savage Garden. It was released on 4 March 1997 in Australia by Columbia Records and Roadshow Music. The album won the award for Highest Selling Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 1998, selling more than 12 million copies worldwide, according to Billboard magazine. This album fetched the duo a record of 10 awards at the ARIA Awards 1997, grabbing Best Album, Best Single, Best Group, Song of the Year, Best Debut Album, Best Independent Release, Best Pop Release and Highest Selling Single award—the most awards ever won by a single act in one year. The following year at the ARIA Awards 1998, the album won two more awards—Highest Selling Album award and Outstanding Achievement Award. In October 2010, Savage Garden was listed in the top 40 in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums.
High Times – The Best of Fools Garden is a best-of compilation album by German pop band Fools Garden, released on October 2, 2009. It features 14 tracks taken from the band's back catalogue, plus one new recording. Ten of the tracks were released in the past as singles (eleven if counting the new track and single, "High Time"). The compilation doesn't include any song from band's first two albums and omits eight of their later singles, such as "Pieces", "It Can Happen", "Happy", "In the Name", "Closer", "Man of Devotion", "Does Anybody Know?" and "Cold". The songs "Lemon Tree", "Wild Days" and "Suzy" have been rerecorded for this compilation.