In 1995, Secret Garden made history by winning the Eurovision Song Contest with their instrumental piece “Nocturne.” This composition was more akin to a musical performance than a traditional song, and it marked a significant departure from the norm. Reviewing the contest’s history, which spans over 40 years and is held in high regard across Europe, no instrumental work had ever before won the gold prize. The media hailed them, stating: “Secret Garden redefined the Eurovision Song Contest with a novel piece that deviated from the common European pop style used in previous entries.”
Since their victory, Secret Garden has recorded and released 11 original music albums, consistently maintaining their status as one of the best-selling artists in Universal’s classical and jazz labels. They have achieved 113 platinum records worldwide, with over 5 million physical album sales and more than 3 billion streams on music platforms. Their popularity was further solidified after winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1995, as they maintained a continuous presence on the American Billboard New Age Music Chart for 311 weeks, spanning nearly 30 years of their career.
Their 2001 song “You Raise Me Up” has become globally renowned, covered by artists such as Josh Groban, Westlife, Il Divo, and thousands of other performers, making it one of the most recorded songs of the century. Fionnuala and Rolf, the duo behind Secret Garden, say: “We have always strived to avoid being categorized into a specific genre of music. Our music is our own – starting from simple melodies to tell a story, mostly without words, sometimes expressed through lyrics.”The opening time is Sunday, October 13th, with the performance starting at 19:30. The exact duration of the performance is subject to the live event. Beyond personal and intuitive expression, we do not concern ourselves with anything else.
