School Garden

This live album was recorded at the garden party of German Winfried Wiesrecker. There are not a lot of people who can say that they had a concert in their backyard. After Winfried asked Ron Boots to play there, Ron promised he would do something special. Sometimes, Ron is in his studio in the Dutch village of Best not working on an album but just enjoying himself with his toys. At a certain moment, Eric van der Heijden and Harold van der Heijden joined him and the music you can hear of this album started to grow. Also Frank Dorittke (FD Project) was asked to accompany them on electric guitar. Off course, these four men are now known as MorPheuSz. The music the musical friends played in Winfried’s garden, is the first under this name so the garden is the birth cradle of MorPheuSz.

La Clemenza di Tito can be rather bloodless, but in this instance an elegant, vocally impeccable cast makes up for much of the lack of drama in John Pritchard’s conducting. Werner Hollweg’s pingy tenor cuts through the orchestra brilliantly, and he uses his voice very well. Teresa Cahill and Anne Howells are an attractive-sounding pair as the young lovers, and Robert Lloyd is typically strong as Publio. The honors here go to Yvonne Minton’s anguished, beautifully accurate Sesto, capturing an often under-valued mezzo in one of her best roles. Janet Baker is Vitella, bringing fire and passion to her melodramatic utterances and immaculate singing to a very challenging role. The sound is excellent.

Secret Garden´s „Sacred Night: The Christmas Album“ features a twelve song Christmas themed collaboration with Norwegian vocalist Cathrine Iversen and features guest appearances from Espen Grojotheim, Renate Gjerlow Larsen and Dublin´s Junior Musicals Theatre School Choir.