PRIVACY   CONTACT ABBA News Archive 2011 Here are the old messages from our ABBA- News page from the year 2011. Books have been moved to the Book List and obsolete announcements for TV shows and concerts have been deleted. December 23, 2011 A very Merry Christmas and all our best wishes for a very happy and healthy 2012 to all our ABBA fan club members and website visitors! The Bielefeld, Germany production of CHESS is still going strong and very successful. Therefore the theatre decided to add even more performances: April 28, 2012 at 7.30 p.m., May 27, 2012 at 7.30 p.m. and June 12, 2012 at 8 p.m. If you are interested in seeing this wonderful performance (sung in English with German subtitles and dialogue in German), hurry and get your tickets from the theatre's website. December 20, 2011 "Allt syns när man är naken" is the second single to be released as a digital download from BAO's latest album, O Klang och Jubeltid. The item number is MMCD-S 138. BAO has been nominated for a Grammis (the Swedish equivalent of the Grammys) in the "Dance Band of the Year" category. The awards ceremony will take place on Tuesday, February 14, 2012 and will be broadcast on SVT1 at 22.00 local time. Following the decision of the Stockholm city council to move ahead with a controversial development plan for Slussen, and despite a petition by Benny and other Swedish celebrities, a disappointed Benny told Dagens Nyheter that he would rather have his picture be removed from Arlanda airport as he no longer wishes to be associated with the city. The image, a well-known 1979 concert shot which also features the other three ABBA members, welcomes visitors at the airport's international terminal. "I have no desire to be a billboard for a city that makes unreasonable decisions like this. I am not available for use anymore. I have not met a single person who is in favour of a highway straight through town," Benny told the newspaper. He suggested instead that the "face of Stockholm" be deputy major for culture Madeleine Sjöstedt – "although, ironically, most people will not know who she is," he said. "This is important, and the redevelopment of Slussen is a major planning decision. Why should I support a governing body that clubs through an important issue like this based on just three votes outweighing the opposition?" Benny added. A related article from The Local is here. On their part, Arlanda airport officials told DN that although they were ready to take down the picture if necessary, they hoped it was all a misunderstanding and that they had no opinion whatsoever about the Slussen project. They added that the city council did not govern the "Wall of Fame" at the international terminal, and that Benny had not requested termination of the image contract. December 14, 2011 ABBA No. 64 has now been published and is being mailed to our members!            Our 36-page, full colour A4 size magazine is once again full of news, special features, exclusive photos and great prizes to be won. Inside this issue, you will find: - All of the latest news and ABBA/ABBA-related releases - An interview with original ABBA Musicians Mike Watson and Roger Palm - An interview and more information about the new German ABBA audio book, Die Audiostory - Our competition with exclusive prizes to be won; this time we've got copies of the "ABBA You Can Dance" Wii game and "ABBA-Die Audiostory" to give away - The next instalment of our special in-depth feature on Super Trouper - A fun travel guide to Skopelos, the "Mamma Mia! island" - More readers' stories - A special follow-up report on the making of the "ABBA By Micke" book - Songbook: Never Again/Ya Nunca Más - Continuation of our classic Posters series with more poster-magazines - An A3 size poster featuring an alternate shot of ABBA during their "Chiquitita" single photo session We thank all of our members for your support and feedback and wish all of you a happy and healthy holiday season! November 25, 2011 The Bielefeld, Germany production of CHESS has been so successful that all future performances are already sold out. In response, the theatre is offering additional performances on February 25, 2012 at 7.30 p.m. and April 8, 2012 at 7.30 p.m. Carols for a Cure Volume 13, a new 2-CD set released by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (a theatre-based organisation dedicated to raising funds and awareness for AIDS-related causes across the U.S.), contains ABBA's brief rendition of the Swedish Christmas song "Nu är det jul igen" as originally broadcast on the West German radio show Mal Sondock's Hitparade in 1981. It is the first time this rare ABBA recording is legally released on CD. The short track precedes the performance of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" by the Broadway cast of Mamma Mia!, though it is not actually listed on the CD. More info is available here and the CD can be ordered from the Broadway Cares online store. Thanks to Carl Magnus Palm! Benny has written an open letter to Stockholm finance mayor Sten Nordin expressing his opposition to redevelopment plans for the central area known as Slussen (the Lock) which connects Södermalm to the Old Town. The letter was published in Dagens Nyheter on November 21st. In the letter, Benny asks the mayor if he thinks it's a good idea to build an 8-lane motorway and another big mall, position the bus terminal 500 metres from the subway and limit disabled access, among other things. He also blasted the mayor for setting a November 28th decision date for the redevelopment plans without taking adequate time to consider opposing views. A related article from the Stockholm News is here. After a response from the mayor and Slussen redevelopment project manager Andreas Burghauser, who said that Benny "seems to have misunderstood a few things", Benny retorted in todays DN edition: "It was not much of an answer, but I had not expected one", continuing that the mayor and project manager must not really understand the impact the changes are going to have on the pedestrians and businesses in the area. Expressen reported in mid-November that Tommy Körberg and Swedish Idol 2006 finalist Danny Saucedo are recording a new song together with lyrics by Björn, "I can see myself in you". The music is by Tobias Gustavsson. Frida visited the province of Agrigento in western Sicily, Italy in early November on holiday with friends and family. She stayed at the Verdura Golf Resort, visiting the Sciacca and Siculiana beaches and dining at the La Scogliera Di Spataro Paolo restaurant. Local paper Agrigento Notizie reported that Frida enjoyed her stay and expressed her desire to return to Sicily in the future. November 10, 2011 As reported in No. 63, the Wii game "ABBA You Can Dance" will be released on November 24, 2011. Up to four players can sing and dance along and they can act out the key roles in a mini-musical story based on ABBA's songs. "ABBA You Can Dance" features original music videos, live concert footage and original photos, giving an authentic game feeling. "In the video game market, Ubisoft is the dancing king", says Geoffroy Sardin, EMEA chief marketing and sales officer at Ubisoft. "With ABBA You Can Dance, players can dance, they can jive, and they can have the time of their lives, all thanks to ABBA's music and Ubisoft's latest entertaining dance video game." We will soon have some Nintendo Wii games "ABBA You Can Dance" exclusively to be won here on this page, plus more games to give away to our members in our next ABBA issue No. 64. You can watch a video trailer on Ubisoft's site or Youtube. October 31, 2011 The book "ABBA by Micke", already covered by our ABBA- Fan Club Magazine, is now finally available from www.amazon.co.uk after some delivery problems have been solved. This extraordinary book mainly reports about the ABBA / post-ABBA times during the 80's. It includes great fan stories from the author Micke Bayart himself plus many memories from the former official ABBA fan club, run by Micke with other fans back then. And it features a lot of great, previously unpublished photos. Finally comes a book about a time after ABBA released their last records! You can read more details in our fan club magazine and on the website www.abbabymicke.com. October 21, 2011 The musical CHESS will be staged in Gothenburg next year. Benny and Björn are not involved in this production, which will premiere at the Opera on September 8, 2012. Thanks to Niklas Albinsson-Collander! October 12, 2011 Frida attended the Zurich Film Festival awards ceremony at the famous Opera House on 1 October with her partner, Henry Smith. The Zurich Film Festival, founded in 2005 to celebrate the art of film and promote young filmmakers, is held annually in Switzerland. This year the event took place from 22 September to 2 October. September 30, 2011 CHESS is now playing in Toronto (Canada) until the end of October. Thanks to Ursula Weidlich! September 26, 2011 ABBA No. 63 has now been published and is being mailed to our members! It is again a 36-page, full colour A4 size magazine. This time, we are very proud to present an exclusive, unpublished shot as a poster! The magazine is also full of news, special features,exclusive photos and great prizes to be won. Inside you will find: - All of the latest news, including new interviews with Björn and Benny - Special report on BAO's successful 10th anniversary tour - Our ABBA Competition with rare, special ABBA postcard sets to be won - The next instalment of our special feature on Super Trouper - Part 2 of our well-received series about ABBA in Spain - Continuation of our classic Poster series, this time featuring poster-magazines - Our Readers' Stories As always, we look forward to your feedback and greatly appreciate your support! September 19, 2011 SVT1 aired the episode of "Moreaus med mera" featuring BAO yesterday evening (filmed in Dalarna on June 4). The band appeared throughout the show and performed "Månstrålar klara", "Allt syns när man är naken" and "Thank you for the music". Watch the entire episode (online until October 18) here. September 15, 2011 Benny and his son Ludvig Andersson with his band Atlas will be guests of the programme "Skavlan" on Swedish TV SVT1 on Friday at 21:00 local time. The talkshow will be repeated on September 17 (15:15) and 21 (23:25) on SVT1 and September 18 (21:00) on SVT24. Thanks to Steffen Stolze and special thanks to Micke Bayart for these exclusive photos from the taping! August 21, 2011 BAO's new song "En Dag i Sänder" is number one on the Svensktoppen charts for three weeks in a row. August 11, 2011 The BAO concerts filmed by Swedish TV will be shown at Christmas. Thanks to Silke! July 30, 2011 BAO wrap up their 10th anniversary summer tour at Skansen in Stockholm tonight. The tour has been a big success, receiving glowing reviews, attracting big crowds and propelling "O Klang och Jubeltid" to the top of the Swedish charts. The CD has achieved gold status, having sold over 25,000 copies. Värmlands Folkblad called the show in Karlstad last Sunday "magnificent", reporting that the band played to approximately 3,500 people. In the aftermath of the horrific attacks in Oslo, Benny said in his introduction that it seemed strange to play and dance that particular evening, but that both band and audience would do the best they could while sparing a thought for friends in Norway. Meanwhile, the following show in Helsingborg was attended by about 7,000 people; a review by Helsingborgs Dagblad is here. Lastly, some great footage from the Gothenburg concert this past Thursday is available on YouTube: Hasta Mañana Why Did It Have To Be Me (with intro from Happy Hawaii) I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do BAO's official page on Facebook reported that the Helsingborg and Gothenburg shows were filmed by SVT and will be broadcast on Swedish television in two 60-minute programs at Christmas. Frida visited Roxette in Locarno, Switzerland in mid-July, where they played at the Moon and Stars Festival as part of their world tour to promote their latest album, Charm School. A blurry but nice picture of Frida with Marie Fredriksson can be seen on Roxette's official Facebook page. The premiere of CHESS in Bielefeld, Germany will take place on September 25, 2011. Further dates are October 9, 11 and 14, November 17 and 23, February 10, 2012 and April 19 and 21, 2012. Photo © Matthias Stutte July 23, 2011 BAO kicked off their 10th anniversary tour in the central Swedish town of Örnsköldsvik this past Thursday, July 21, playing for over 3.5 hours to an audience of 4,000. Jens Peterson of Aftonbladet gave the show a very favourable review, calling it the best BAO concert he has seen. In addition to songs from its latest album, the band also performed a number of ABBA songs, including the newly-added "Kisses of Fire". More photos from Thursday can be viewed here from local newspaper Örnsköldsvik Allehanda and here from photo agency Rockfoto. Expressen's positive review is here. Local website Webben 7 published some video footage from the concert. Benny also gave an interview to P4 radio in Gävleborg yesterday ahead of the second show in Järvsö. It was attended by nearly 6,000 people according to local website Helahalsingland.se. July 13, 2011 Björn attended the premiere of the Mandarin-language version of Mamma Mia! in Shanghai on July 8. Here is an interview he gave from there to CNN International. A review from The Telegraph is here. Agnetha attended the 50th birthday party of Swedish director and actor Magnus Skogsberg in Stockholm on July 8. You can see a picture on this blog by Anders Öhrman of Swedish magazine QX. Magnus Skogsberg produced Agnetha's TV documentary for "My Colouring Book" in 2004. July 12, 2011 Universal will re-release the ABBA vinyl albums in Germany on August 9, 2011. They have the original artwork and will be available in a limited edition of 300 copies each. Here are the tracklistings: Ring Ring (0602527346472) 1. Ring Ring (bara du slog en signal) (Swedish version), 2. Another Town, Another Train, 3. Disillusion, 4. People Need Love, 5. I Saw It In The Mirror, 6. Nina, Pretty Ballerina, 7. Love Isn't Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough), 8. Me And Bobby And Bobby's Brother, 9. He Is Your Brother, 10. Ring Ring (English version), 11. I Am Just A Girl, 12. Rock'n Roll Band Waterloo (0602527346489) 1.Waterloo (Swedish version), 2. Sitting In The Palmtree, 3. King Kong Song, 4. Hasta Mañana, 5. My Mama Said, 6. Dance (While The Music Still Goes On), 7. Honey, Honey, 8. Watch Out, 9. What About Livingstone, 10. Gonna Sing You My Lovesong, 11. Suzy-Hang-Around, 12. Waterloo (English version) ABBA (0602527346496) 1.Mamma Mia, 2. Hey, Hey Helen, 3. Tropical Loveland, 4. S.O.S., 5. Man In The Middle, 6. Bang-A-Boomerang, 7. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, 8. Rock Me, 9. Intermezzo No. 1, 10. I've Been Waiting For You, 11. So Long Arrival (0602527346502) 1. When I Kissed The Teacher, 2. Dancing Queen, 3. My Love, My Life, 4. Dum Dum Diddle, 5. Knowing Me, Knowing You, 6. Money, Money, Money, 7. That's Me, 8. Why Did It Have To Be Me, 9. Tiger, 10. Arrival The Album (0602527346519) 1. Eagle, 2. Take A Chance On Me, 3. One Man, One Woman, 4. The Name Of The Game, 5. Move On, 6. Hole In Your Soul, 7. Thank You For The Music, 8. I Wonder (Departure), 9. I'm A Marionette Voulez-Vous (0602527346526) 1. As Good As New, 2. Voulez-Vous, 3. I Have A Dream, 4. Angeleyes, 5. The King Has Lost His Crown, 6. Does Your Mother Know, 7. If It Wasn't For The Nights, 8. Chiquitita, 9. Lovers (Live A Little Longer), 10. Kisses Of Fire Super Trouper (0602527346533) 1. Super Trouper, 2. The Winner Takes It All, 3. On And On And On, 4. Andante, Andante, 5. Me And I, 6. Happy New Year, 7. Our Last Summer, 8. The Piper, 9. Lay All Your Love On Me, 10. The Way Old Friends Do The Visitors (0602527346540) 1. The Visitors, 2. Head Over Heels, 3. When All Is Said And Done, 4. Soldiers, 5. I Let The Music Speak, 6. One Of Us, 7. Two For The Price Of One, 8. Slipping Through My Fingers, 9. Like An Angel Passing Through My Room July 4, 2011 The Local, Sweden's English news website, has published a review of the recently launched Swedish-language ABBA walks sponsored by the Stockholm City Museum. English-language walks start later this month. Here is an interesting article by TIME magazine with accompanying video about the opening of a Mandarin-language production of Mamma Mia! in Shanghai, China on July 8. Speaking to Aftonbladet from London last month to promote his latest film, Mamma Mia! movie producer Tom Hanks said he wouldn't mind organising an ABBA reunion (at the paper's suggestion). "It would be great if they got together and did a reunion tour," he said, noting they could do something similar to what 70s rock band Cream did in 2005 with their reunion concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Upon hearing of the idea, Björn said: "Ha ha ha. He can give it a try. But I say no. It's absolutely unbelievable there is still talk about it. We quit in 1982. The odds against this are very high." July 3, 2011 One of the main French public TV channels, "France 3", is preparing an ABBA Tribute Show for September 2011 featuring the French cast of Mammma Mia! (5 songs) and many singers who will perform ABBA cover songs. French host Laurent Boyer spoke of the possibility of having interviews with ABBA members. The show will be recorded on July 5, 2011 in the Mogador Theatre in Paris (7:00 PM open to public, you can get free tickets at the theatre) where the French version of Mamma Mia! is playing daily. You will find more information in French on Facebook. Thanks to Marco Paulo! June 29, 2011 Here are photos from the BAO rehearsals that took place earlier in the day yesterday at Skansen. The band kicked off this year's "Allsång på Skansen" concerts by performing three songs from their new album: "Kära syster", "O klang och jubeltid", and "Allt syns när man är naken". The performances are available for viewing on SVT's website (click on "Klipp från programmet"). June 17, 2011 ABBA No. 62 has now been published and is being mailed to our members! It is again a 36-page, full colour A4 size magazine with news, feature, exclusive photos and lots of great prizes to be won. This issue includes: - All of the latest news, including new interviews with Björn and Benny - Exclusive interview with Murray Head, the famous "Freddy" from CHESS - Special feature on "Super Trouper" - Our ABBA Competition - enter to win tickets for CHESS in Germany, promo copies of BAO's new CD single "Kära syster", "Super Trouper" Deluxe CD/DVDs, "ABBA Gold" MP3 players, and signed copies of the great new book "ABBA By Micke" - A new series, ABBA in Spain - The second and last part of Agnetha on Gäst Hos Hagge, 1985 - you can also win a copy of the book "Gäster Hos Hagge" featuring Agnetha & Frida! - The last part of our Japanese Discography, this time covering MC releases - Part 7 of our Poster Special - An A3 size poster featuring an alternate shot of ABBA during their "Super Trouper" session in 1980 Each member also receives a special anniversary postcard with their issue, the last of four. This time you can complete your set with a beautiful card of Frida. Above you can see the complete series; if you are missing any of the cards, feel free to contact us for back issue information. Once again, we look forward to your feedback and greatly appreciate your support! June 11, 2011 Swedish newspaper Hallandsposten published an article yesterday on BAO's new album and upcoming tour. In it, Benny says he's surprised BAO has been around for 10 years and that the band is becoming more and more important to him. "Writing music gets a bit lonely. To play with others - it beats everything!" He also commented on pop music: "It's been a long time since I stopped listening to pop. I lost interest when all the machines came and it was easy to get a great sound and groove." About Lady Gaga: "I know what she looks like in a picture, but I don't have a clue about what is going on in the 'contemporary world'". About ABBA: "The advantage of being in my situation is that you can do whatever you want. And it doesn't include an ABBA reunion. Not for any one of us. But the requests will never end. It is really funny!" About leisure activities: "I do things that people usually do in their spare time. I take it easy. I'm very good at taking it easy." Here is a short high-resolution video of BAO in the studio during the recording of "Allt syns när man är naken (Everything is visible when you're naked)", one of the tracks on the new album "O klang och jubeltid". June 9, 2011 Sven-Olof Walldoff, the Swedish record producer and orchestra conductor who famously dressed as Napoleon while conducting the orchestra for ABBA's entry in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, has sadly died at the age of 82. He also wrote the string arrangements for a number of ABBA songs. Mono Music is making available physical promo copies of "Kära Syster" for sale through the official BAO and Helen Sjöholm Facebook pages. Each copy costs SEK40 and can be paid via PayPal. We will also have 5 copies of the promo single to give away in our next magazine competition. BAO will be filmed for a new talk show on SVT hosted by Kalle Moraeus called "Moraeus med mera". Filming will take place on June 14th at 19.30 at the Orsa Camping site in Dalarna. There will be room for about 400 audience members, and ticket information for the taping (in Swedish) is available here. The talk show will begin airing September 4. BAO will be performing at the premiere of this year's "Allsång på Skansen", the annual open-air singalong event held in Skansen and broadcast live on SVT, on June 28th. May 31, 2011 Samples of all 13 BAO tracks from the new album "O klang och jubeltid" are now available on the British Amazon site. The album will be released on June 15. May 23, 2011 The ABBA City Walk will take place in Stockholm in July, August and September. The two-hour guided tours in English will start each Friday and Saturday at 16:00 at the oak tree located in the courtyard of Stadshuset (the City Hall). Tickets (120 Swedish Crowns) are available at the Stockholm City Museum, from Ticnet and probably at the Tourist Information opposite the railway station. Tours in Swedish will start in June on Tuesdays at 18:00. The ABBA city map showing 20 places included in the tour has now been released by Premium and is sold at the City Museum as well: ABBA Stockholm Premium Publishing 2011 240 x 115 mm English/German ISBN: 978-91-89136-82-3 Swedish/Russian ISBN: 978-91-89136-83-0 The new BAO album O Klang och Jubeltid (Mono Music MMCD 027) will now be released on June 15. Here ist the tracklist: 1 O Klang och Jubeltid 2 Kära Syster 3 Månstrålar Klara 4 Midsommarpolka 5 Allt Syns När Man Är Naken 6 Alla Goda Ting 7 En Dag I Sänder 8 Flickornas Rum 9 De Ljuva Drömmarnas Orkester 10 Jag Hör... 11 Sorgmarsch 12 Vilar Glad. I Din Famn 13 Brudmarsch May 15, 2011 The new single "Kära Syster" ("Dear sister", Mono Music MMCD S-137) by Benny Anderssons Orkester and Helen Sjöholm will be released on Monday, May 16. The single will only be released digitally, but is scheduled to be available globally. It will be available for digital download on Amazon.co.uk on May 23. The lyrics and a link to Itunes are here. May 7, 2011 Here are some screenshots from an advance preview of the previously-unreleased "Somewhere in the Crowd There's You" featurette on the new deluxe edition of Super Trouper, released in most territories on 9 May. The Broadway production of Mamma Mia! has launched a sing-along contest to celebrate the musical's 10th year on the New York stage in 2011. The grand-prize winner will receive round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations in New York, two tickets to the 10th Anniversary performance on October 18, dinner and two passes to the after party with the cast. Thanks to our American correspondent Maria! May 6, 2011 Mono Music has published the artwork for the new Benny Anderssons Orkester CD "O klang och jubeltid" to be released on June 15. The first single, "Kära Syster (Dear Sister)", will be released in mid-May. From the press release: Benny Andersson Band, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, was formed in early 2001 in connection with the recording of its first CD, "Benny Anderssons Orkester", which was followed by four more CDs: "BAO", "BAO på turné" (BAO On Tour), "BAO 3" and "Story Of A Heart". Hits like "Vår sista dans" (Our Last Dance), "Du är min man" (You Are My Man) and Fait Accompli have become modern classics! The new CD contains 13 tracks including eight with vocals - three with Helen Sjöholm, two with Tommy Körberg and three with Helen Sjöholm, Tommy Körberg & Kalle Moraeus. This summer, BAB will participate in two major television productions and is also going on tour. At eight locations, the audience will experience an evening filled with music, joy and dance under colored lights on a dance floor which will be brought along. Mono is also currently promoting "Fågelsång i Sverige (Birdsong in Sweden)", a CD + 200-page book box set released in 1990 containing sounds from 90 commonly-known types of Swedish birds compiled by Benny in cooperation with two Swedish bird experts. This year's Polar Music Prize was awarded to American string quartet Kronos Quartet and to Patti Smith, an American poet and musician. The gala ceremony and celebratory banquet will be held in Stockholm on 30 August and will be broadcast live on national television. May 5, 2011 RMV, Benny's new recording studio adjacent to the Mono Music offices in Stockholm, had its opening party on 4 May. Benny is pictured here with Swedish singer and actress Anna-Lotta Larsson. Other guests included Helen Sjöholm, Peter Jöback, Anders Ekborg and Lars Rudolfsson. Benny is the featured interview in the April 2011 issue of Resolution, a British trade magazine on audio production. Back issues can be ordered on the magazine's website. Popular Czech singer Helena Vondrácková opened the Czech version of ABBAWORLD in Prague today. More pictures are available on the singer's website. April 28, 2011 The official ABBA website posted a thank you message from Björn for the fan greetings he received on his birthday: A birthday at a certain age Becomes a dreaded day You reach it and you turn the page And hope it goes away But all good wishes you have sent Are making me feel great! They make a total non-event A day to celebrate! So thank you all for being there For always staying true For showing once again you care The way that old friends do /Björn Ulvaeus, Stockholm April 28th 2011 April 13, 2011 The press conference for this year's Zermatt Unplugged festival took place at the Backstage Hotel with Frida in attendance. The event runs from 12 to 16 April. Artists this year include David Gray, Roger Hodgson of Supertramp, James Walsh, Seal, and the popular Swedish rock band Mando Diao. According to press reports, advance ticket sales this year exceeded expectations, with concerts in increasing demand in the weeks leading up to the festival. The Swiss TV show "10vor10" featured a short report about Seal at the festival; Frida can be seen talking about him at 3:30. Mamma Mia! will go tour in France in 2012-2013, playing in Lille, Lyon, Grenoble, Angers, Toulon, Nice, Caen etc. You can find the dates on the French Mamma Mia! website. Thanks to Annie Legand! April 11, 2011 Frida and her partner Henry Smith attended an event in celebration of a new boutique hotel in the center of Zermatt called Backstage. The "lifestyle" bed and breakfast, designed and built by Frida's friend Heinz Julen and run by his wife Evelyne, is part of the Vernissage cultural center where many of this year's Zermatt Unplugged concerts are taking place. You can briefly see Frida taking some pictures about halfway in this report on Zermatt Unplugged by Swiss TV station Kanal 9. April 10, 2011 The new BAO album will be released in early June, with the first single to be released a month earlier. The title is "O klang och jubeltid" ("O time of sound and rejoicing"). Björn has written lyrics for at least one song. Aftonbladet published an article on the making of the CD today with many great photos by Björn Lindahl, which were later published on the official BAO page on Facebook. Benny attended the last performance of the recent production of Chess (directed by Craig Revel Horwood) in the UK at the King's Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland last night. He signed autographs for a few fans and met the cast backstage after the performance. Here is an article from Scotland's Evening Times. April 6, 2011 Universal has informed us that the German release date of the "Super Trouper" Deluxe Edition will be May 6 and the international release date May 9, 2011. April 2, 2011 The international edition of the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat published a new interview with Benny and Björn to promote the upcoming Finnish production of Kristina. When asked why they are producing the musical themselves, Björn said "Because this is fun", with Benny adding: "We are very proud of this. We don't want to give this musical to anyone else, or to tell someone that they can do what they like with it." Benny also spoke about his 3-year old granddaughter, Viola, who loves the Mamma Mia! musical but is not yet able to make the ABBA connection! The entire interview is available here. March 23, 2011 ABBAWORLD will come to Prague! The exhibition will premiere on 6 May 2011 at Slovansky Dum. Tickets will be available 24th of March 2011 from TicketPro. Susan Boyle and Peter Kay have recorded a music video of "I Know Him So Well" from Chess to support the Red Nose Day charity. Here is the Daily Mail report. Thanks to Mal Mitchell! March 17, 2011 The ABBAWORLD exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney has now been extended until 26 June 2011. March 14, 2011 From March 28, 2011 you can order tickets for "Kristina" in Helsinki, Finland from biljetter@svenskateatern.fi or phone +358-9-61621433. Groups with more than 10 persons can already order tickets now. More information on "Kristina" in Finland is here. Thanks to Marina Högström! The Stockholm Tourist Information Center has moved from Sverigehuset at Kungsträdgården to Vasagatan 14 opposite the railway station. They also sell tickets for concerts and events there. Thanks to Christine Schuster! March 10, 2011 The successful Milan production of Mamma Mia! will end at the end of March. However this doesn't mean the end of the Italian story. Next season 2011-2012 the show will open in Rome. Thanks to our Belgian correspondent Stany! March 4, 2011 Universal has revealed the track list of the "Super Trouper" Deluxe Edition. All tracks on the CD are new remaster versions and the DVD includes three ABBA TV performances from the German ZDF "Show Express". The video "Somewhere In The Crowd There's You" was made from previously unpublished footage recorded during the record sleeve photo session. March 3, 2011 A guided tour called ABBA - The Walk will take place in Stockholm from May 19, 2011. There are many ABBA related places in the city and Dagens Nyheter mentions the former Polar Studios and Mono Music. Tickets for the first walk are already available from Ticnet and probably at the tourist information at the railway station. The walks, arranged by Stockholms Stadsmuseum, are planned to start at the oak tree located in the courtyard of Stadshuset (the building on the book cover of The ABBA Guide to Stockholm). February 24, 2011 As reported in No. 61, there will be a Deluxe Edition of "Super Trouper". Universal has told us that it will be released in May 2011. More details will follow soon. February 17, 2011    ABBA No. 61 has now been published and is being mailed to all our members! It is again a 36-page, full colour A4 size magazine with news, features and exclusive photos. Included in our latest issue: - All of the latest news, including new interviews with Björn and Agnetha - Like An Angel Passing Through My Room: Chris Green Meets Frida - Special feature about the history of ABBA Fan Clubs - Report about a new ABBA fan book, "ABBA By Micke" - A look back at Agnetha on Gäst hos Hagge, 1985 - Exclusive Interview with ABBA Musicians Ulf Andersson & Mats Ronander - ABBA Competition with great prizes to be won, including tickets to ABBA-The Show and ABBA 99 - Readers' Stories - Part 3 of our Japanese discography, this time covering CD releases - Part 6 of our Poster Special - An A3 size poster featuring an alternate shot of ABBA from early 1975 Each member also receives a special anniversary postcard with their issue (the third of four!). Once again, we look forward to your feedback and greatly appreciate your support!    February 16, 2011 Appearing in full Mamma Mia! costume, Björn was the surprise guest at the QX GayGalan 2011 in Stockholm on Monday where he handed over the award for Gay Person of the Year to Elisabeth Ohlson-Wallin, who photographed Benny for his interview in Vi magazine this past October. Björn thanked ABBA's gay fans for supporting ABBA throughout the years, particularly during the time in the 80s when the group were considered "distinctly uncool". Björn's speech (with English subtitles) can be viewed here. February 14, 2011 Frida has received an invitation to the German city of Plauen, as reported in the press (see right and here). Thanks to Dirk Hellwig and Uwe Aschendorf! February 10, 2011 Mamma Mia! has been nominated for the BBC Radio 2 Olivier Audience Award for favourite long-running London show along with 17 other shows. Click here to vote. Once the first round voting has closed, the final shortlisted shows will be announced and fans will be invited to vote again for their favourite. Thanks to Liz McGinity of LittleStar Entertainment! February 9, 2011 Mamma Mia! won a "Globe de Cristal" at a ceremony at the Lido in Paris as best musical on Monday evening. The "Globes de Cristal" are the French cultural prizes, voted for by the culture journalists. Other winners included actress Kristin Scott Thomas and fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier. The event was shown live on FR3 TV. Thanks to our Belgian correspondent Stany! January 16, 2011 Benny will be performing at the Rival Hotel along with other artists on Monday 24 January at 7:00 p.m. as part of a 25th anniversary celebration honouring a Swedish non-profit theatre, Teater Brunnsgatan Fyra. Kristina Lugn, the poet and playwright who wrote the lyrics for "Vilar glad. I din famn" performed at the Swedish Royal wedding last summer, has managed the theatre since 1997. January 12, 2011 Notable chart news: A new cover version of "Chiquitita" by Spanish singer/songwriter Amaia Montero has hit number one on the Spanish singles chart. See a performance here. Thanks to our Spanish correspondent José Luis! The original version of "Happy New Year" by ABBA charted in the Netherlands this week. It is currently at number 8 on the singles chart. Thanks to our Belgian correspondent Stany! January 10, 2011 BBC 4 Radio will air a special called "Like An Angel Passing Through My Room" including an exclusive interview with Frida beginning on 16 February at 14.15. The interview was conducted by British actor, comedian, writer and stage performer Christopher Green, who is also a big Frida fan. The special traces the performer's lifelong admiration for Frida, and the interview was conducted in summer 2009; it will be available online for one week. More details and exclusive photos in our next issue. Special thanks to Michael Scheiber! We have deleted some old messages. If you found this page by a search engine, don't miss the whole site! You will find the old messages from the last years in our News Archive 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2004.

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