Music » Meditation Music

Dreamcatcher, not listed as a greatest-hits collection, is made up of previously recorded works. Secret Garden, Irish violinist Fionnuala (fi-NOO-la) Sherry, and Norwegian pianist/keyboardist Rolf Lovland, along with various guest musicians, always manage to surprise and execute their craft with a remarkable gracefulness of sound. Lush, rich, full-bodied, and passionate, Secret Garden stands eye-to-eye with other successful Celtic/world-music hybrids such as Loreena McKennitt and Clannad. Highlighted by the ethereal vocal styling of Gunnhild Tvinnereim ("Nocturne") and the tender laments of Karen Matheson ("Prayer"), Secret Garden weaves a mystical tapestry of classic Oriental notes, Irish flutes, deep bodhran, and bold violins. With the crystalline quality of pure water, Secret Garden descends over one's spirit in a tranquil waterfall of renewal, as demonstrated in "Sigma" and "Songs from a Secret Garden." "Elan," which originally appeared on the album Dawn of a New Century, reflects the fire that burns at the heart of Secret Garden. The song soars with a wild, sea-swept energy, a true soundscape of white-sand beach and blue sky. A bonus cut, "Last Present," closes out Dreamcatcher with a simple, balanced melody--poised and inspiring. Dreamcatcher, a collection of some of the best musical moments of Secret Garden, is a fine acknowledgement of an inventive group of musicians who are consistently setting a high and impressive standard in modern Celtic/New Age music. --Leslie R. Marini

Picture a square with Clannad, pianist David Lanz, Mannheim Steamroller, and the musicians of Riverdance at its corners. Somewhere within those stylistic borders you will encounter the European duo Secret Garden. The popular twosome--Irish violinist Fionnuala (fi-NOO-la) Sherry and Norwegian pianist/keyboardist Rolf Lovland--have attracted a sizable following with their heart-touching specialty: a wistful, violin-rooted, pop-folk-classical melange that often strikes the ear as a film score in search of some delicate romantic tale. Songs from a Secret Garden is the duo's debut recording from 1995, and it principally offers a series of pensive dialogues between Sherry's stately violin and Lovland's subdued piano, yielding equal measures of sweetness and melancholy. Whistles, pipes, percussion, strings, and ethereal voices serve as embellishments. At times you may sense you're being serenaded by strolling musicians with a heavy sentimental streak; at other times you may feel genuinely moved--perhaps by something as lovely as the reverential "Sigma" and its sublime, Gregorian-like choral passages. Only one uptempo tune, "The Rap," surfaces here; a few others would have been welcomed. And yes, this is the disc where you will find "Heartstrings," the composition that once smote Barbra Streisand's heart. She eventually acquired the rights to the piece, inserted lyrics, renamed it "I've Dreamed of You" (found on A Love Like Ours), and sang it to James Brolin during the couple's 1998 wedding. --Terry Wood

Two factors account for the broad-based popularity of Secret Garden (the duo of Norwegian keyboardist Rolf Lovland and Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry). One: the twosome's attractive, smartly conceived mix of compatible elements including light classical, urbane New Age, and well-mannered contemporary Celtic. Two: the pair's ability to persuasively present this formula with poise and (crucially) fetching good looks in a concert film, which in 1999 enjoyed broad exposure on American public television. (The performance, A Night with Secret Garden, is available on DVD.) White Stones is Lovland and Sherry's second collaboration, and, despite a few side trips into weighty sentimentality (e.g., the heart-clutching earnestness of "First Day of Spring"), it nicely conveys the pair's simple yet endearing children-of-the-cosmos spirit. Highlights here include the disc's energized, Celtic-influenced tunes ("Steps," "Moving," "Escape") and an infectious, regal charmer ("Celebration") Lovland composed in honor of the Queen of Norway's 60th birthday. Accompanied on nearly every piece by a small orchestra or Celtic instrumentalists, Sherry's violin sometimes evokes moods of melancholy that seem better suited for a two-hanky, movie-of-the-week film score. Yet a piece such as "Hymn to Hope" shows she can also elegantly trigger deeper feelings of longing and anticipation that can linger for hours. Overall, a worthwhile listen. --Terry Wood

Jennifer Berezan, Returning

Ray Lynch, Deep Breakfast

Release Date: 1990-10-25, Audio CD, Warner Bros / Wea

The search for solace involves a difficult reconciliation of conflicting emotions, pitting one's need to grieve at odds with a heavy-hearted realization that life, however diminished, must go on. Using an audio palette of grays and dark blues, Michael Hoppe offers Solace as a balm for the soul during such times, "where the dark clouds in life give way to the glow of eternal hope and peace." The clouds never fully lift during the 12 tracks of Solace, which appear to progress in a stages-of-mourning manner. The effect can be moving, even lovely (particularly the grand orchestral opener, "The Majestic Land," one of four splendid selections involving the Prague Symphony -- recorded remotely via an Internet link, of all things). The prevailing mood is melancholy but not quite maudlin; two angelic arias ("Pie Jesu," which Hoppe had written for the memorial service of his wife's mother, and "Lachrymosa") are tearless, reverent expressions that aspire to the divine. The closing moment of "The Parting," a retooled but otherwise ordinary composition from 1986 that involves Vangelis, finally yields a sense of closure. For those in a state of bereavement, Hoppe's Solace may offer you comfort. --Terry Wood

Release Date: 2002-06-18, Audio CD, Narada

Formally attired and seductively positioned, Yanni gazes out at you from the cover of this 1993 recording and--no description needed--tells you everything you need to know about the music that awaits inside. Here are a few additional details: In My Time is a 49-minute album of piano-based works with a distinct neoclassical flavor that is targeted specifically to Yanni's large and faithful female following. Its highlights: the shimmering tenderness of "In the Morning Light" and the gently caressing "To Take ... To Hold." Perhaps because this was his last album for Private Music, he elected to fill it in with two repeats from Dare to Dream, "Felitsa" and "In the Mirror." --Terry Wood

Japanese version featuring a bonus track