When Norwegian pianist Rolf Lovland met Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry for the prestigious Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo in 1995, the mishmash of their two completely different genres resulted in Nocturne, an instrumental piece that won the contest, and an association called Secret Garden that has continued for over a decade now. Lovland is in the Capital with Sherry and they should bring their intrepid blend of music at the Embassy of Norway today.

About their music, Sherry says, “Our music is inspired by what lies between folk music and western classical.” Says Lovland: “I just love the way Fionnuala’s violin sings the songs with a typical oriental flavour. My compositions sound brilliant on her violin and when combined with a neo-classical style, they have a completely different tone.” Their gentle melodies are a cross between a lingering river dance and western classical. You raise me up, the song which was their claim to fame at the Oslo fest, was later recorded by a host of artists, including the boy band Westlife.

Extremely fascinated by Indian classical music, with Pandit Ravi Shankar as his favourite music icon, Lovland says, “It is the intrinsic complexity of the oral legacy that I admire a lot.” The duo are now thinking of some Indian collaborations. “This is our first concert in India . Let us see what comes our way from here on,” says Sherry.

Secret Garden will perform at the Norwegian Embassy, 50 C Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, at 8 pm today.
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