Fionnuala Sherry of the Norwegian/Irish duo Secret Garden plays the violin during a concert at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday, May 2, 2008. [Photo: ent.sina.com.cn]

The Norwegian/Irish duo Secret Garden was back in Beijing for a concert at the Great Hall of the People on Friday.

Rolf Lovland (composer and keyboards) and Fionnuala Sherry (vocals and violin) gave a two-and-half-hour performance, playing many of their hit songs. The crowd sang along to tracks such as "Moongate" and "Lotus" for which the orchestra added a strong oriental flavor that perfectly supplemented the band's new-age music. Secret Garden also treated fans to "Norturne", the song with which the Norwegian act won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1995.

The band went on to play "Thank you" and "Sometimes a prayer will do" from their new album. Lovland said although the album had so far only been released in Norway, it would soon hit music stores worldwide.

Barring some minor technical issues that caused the guest performers' microphones to go silent, the concert - with its memorable music and distinct gentle melodies - eased the jangled nerves of the enthusiastic audience during China's May Day Holiday.

Secret Garden has played in China five times since 1997. Beijing was the last stop of their most recent tour on the country which began in April.