Divo Tung Duong and musician Nguyen Van Chung are fascinated by the music of Secret Garden.

After Kenny G and the Bond Quartet, Secret Garden is the next choice of the international music project for the community "Good Morning Vietnam" initiated by Nhan Dan Newspaper and IB Group Vietnam.

At the piano, artist Rolf Lovland played the familiar melodies of the classic "Song From A Secret Garden". He also shared that he was looking forward to performing at the National Convention Center in Hanoi on October 18 and hoped to meet Vietnamese audiences soon. Thousands of audiences were eager to enjoy more than 30 classic works of Secret Garden live, including singer Tung Duong and musician Nguyen Van Chung.

The author of "Continuing the story of peace " said he really enjoys listening to music by the group Secret Garden. There are songs that left a strong impression on him the first time he heard them, including the classic "Song from A Secret Garden" because it brought back many emotions.

"I really like listening to the music of the Secret Garden group. There are songs that left a strong impression on me the first time I heard them. Those are: 'Song from A Secret Garden', 'The Promise', 'Fairytale'. These were the first songs I listened to and were impressed by because even though they were just piano melodies and orchestral pieces, they brought a lot of emotions. That was the first time I felt that music was magical because the notes could let me imagine many images, many scenes and immerse myself in different emotions," said musician Nguyen Van Chung.

The "billion view" musician shared that he doesn't know why Secret Garden's music is loved by many people, but for him personally, the group's music has romantic melodies, is easy to listen to, and has a very healing effect.

"Listening to Secret Garden music feels like entering another space full of peace, nostalgia and immersion in emotions. I am a musician and very sensitive so I like to immerse myself in those emotions, it can be sadness, it can be beautiful memories, it can be regret but the rest is just peace and emotional flow. Listening to Secret Garden music, I imagine myself lying on the grass in the afternoon and I feel the scent of grass and the cool breeze blowing on my face. Or there is a song I listen to on a stormy night and feel the peace where I live. I see the magic that Secret Garden music brings to me," he said.

Nguyen Van Chung admitted that his music and creative personality were influenced by the Secret Garden group. Because he believes that when composing a song, it must have a good melody, a beautiful melody, healing, and positivity, nostalgia and emotion. The musician was very excited to enjoy the group's concert in Vietnam in October, but unfortunately due to a previously arranged schedule, even though he really wanted to, he still could not attend.

"Mr. Pham Hoang Nam said this was the show with the group's most beautiful stage, so it increased my regret. But whether I came to see it or not, I still have a very special love for the music of the group Secret Garden," said Nguyen Van Chung.

As for Tung Duong, the two albums "Song from A Secret Garden" and "White Stones" have always been in his favorite list and "You raise me up" is the song associated with Tung Duong. The male singer has been asked to sing this song many times in big programs because the lyrics of "You raise me up" are very meaningful, the melody of the song has become immortal. Therefore, every time he has the opportunity to sing in front of international friends, Tung Duong chooses this song, the most recent being the occasion to meet the family of famous singer Andrea Bocelli in Italy.

"You raise me up" helps him show off his voice as well as let the audience easily feel the qualities in his voice: wide range, free and soaring melody as if lifting his voice to fly high, singing as if echoing into the mountain cliffs...

According to Tung Duong, it is a popular and very special song of Secret Garden. It is also easy to understand why "You Raise Me Up" has been performed by a series of top singers and bands in the world such as: Josh Groban, Westlife, Il Divo... and more than 1,000 other artists. This is also one of the most recorded songs of the century.

"You need music to relieve the stress and pressure of daily work but don't want to listen to classical music; take a few minutes to come to the mysterious music garden of Secret Garden. Secret Garden has cleverly led the listener into each detail of the story with only 3 instruments: drums, piano and violin to create a world of their own. With the real talent of the 2 members: writing music, playing music, having a clear musical mindset... with the melodies of the songs that are also very easy to listen to and attractive. That is the key to Secret Garden's success", Tung Duong said about the appeal of Secret Garden.

Despite his tight performance schedule, Tung Duong said he would definitely arrange his performance schedule to have the chance to attend and fully enjoy Secret Garden's music. "Their music has a truly healing spirit. When listening to Secret Garden's music, we seem to be lost in the world they lead us to, full of charm. I trust director Pham Hoang Nam with his magical stage arrangements and lighting to enhance Secret Garden's music. In my opinion, it is an interesting meeting between a Vietnamese director and a world music group."

Secret Garden consists of 2 members, Fionnuala Sherry (female) and Rolf Lovland (male) founded in 1994. Rolf Lovland was born in 1955, started composing at the age of 9, known as the most excellent songwriter. He received a Master's degree from the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, represented his homeland in the 1985 Eurovision contest and won the championship.

At the same time as founding the group “Secret Garden”, Rolf won a Norwegian Grammy Award and was one of the most famous composers in the country, with 60 songs charting on the Norwegian national radio channel.

In 1995, Secret Garden made history by winning the Eurovision Song Contest with “Nocturne”, breaking the 40-year history of this prestigious European competition by awarding the prize to a work and an ensemble for the first time. Since then, during the 3 decades of their career, Secret Garden has nurtured the love of global audiences through 12 albums, starting with “Songs From A Secret Garden” (1995) and most recently “Songs In The Circle of Time” (2024).

Fionnuala Sherry is Irish, has been playing the violin since she was 8, graduated from the Dublin College of Music and has spent 10 years in the RTE Symphony Orchestra. The combination of two leading artists with different musical styles makes their music both academic and popular with a distinct Nordic quality.

“We always try to avoid being pigeonholed into certain genres. Secret Garden's music is our own, always starting with simple melodies and telling a story, mostly without words,” Fionnuala and Rolf share.

Secret Garden maintains their place in the mainstream as one of the Universal Classics & Jazz label's best-selling artists with 113 platinum albums worldwide, over 3 billion streams, 311 weeks on the Billboard New Age chart….

The music night “Secret Garden Live in Vietnam” will take place at 7:30 p.m. on October 18 at the National Convention Center, Hanoi. This event is part of the annual international music project for the community “Good Morning Vietnam” initiated by Nhan Dan Newspaper and IB Group Vietnam.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/divo-tung-duong-nhac-si-nguyen-van-chung-me-man-am-nhac-cua-secret-garden-post910136.html