PRIVACY   CONTACT ABBA News Archive 2017 Here are the old messages from our ABBA- News page from the year 2017. Books have been moved to the Book List and obsolete announcements for TV shows and concerts have been deleted. December 22, 2017 December 21, 2017 Deutsche Grammophon has new videos with Benny: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Here is the first movie poster for "Mamma Mia! Here we go again". December 19, 2017 Canadian radio CBC did an interview with Benny about his album "Piano". December 16, 2017 'ABBA: Super Troupers - The Exhibition' opened at London's Southbank Centre on 14th December. Björn Ulvaeus was in London to talk with the press on Wednesday. Watch a video here. November 28, 2017 German ZDF TV will show "Ein Herz für Kinder" on Saturday, December 9 at 20:15 local time featuring Benny. November 15, 2017 October 25, 2017 You can now download Radio Sweden's music documentary "Historien om ABBA" (the history of ABBA) from 2010 in MP3 format. The 90 MB file runs 98 minutes in Swedish and English. Just klick onto "Ladda ner" on their website. October 18, 2017 The release of the three 7" vinyl singles from "The Album" has been postponed to November 3, 2017. October 6, 2017 ABBA No. 81 has now been printed and is being mailed to all fan club members worldwide. Look forward to 36 colour pages in A4 size with exclusive photos. This time we have an exclusive interview with Benny and a detailed report about Frida's visit in Torshälla. Like always, this issue includes news, special reports, more exclusive photos and a great poster with an image from 1977. Contents: News Extra with all new releases, ABBA news, Benny, Björn, ABBA related artists Competition with great exclusive prizes Special report about Frida's visit in Torshälla Special report about Benny's new record 'Piano' Exclusive interview with Benny with exclusive photos Special report '40 Years of Arrival', final part Special report about Agnetha in London from February 1988 with exclusive photos 50 Years of Agnetha & Frida - Songbook with their first singles A3 size Poster with a great ABBA photo from 1977             We hope you enjoy this issue and look forward to your feedback. In the end of September, Benny went to England and Germany again to promote his new album. On ITV he gave interviews and presented his new album. In Germany he gave interviews at the hotel before his TV performance. On 'Willkommen bei Carmen Nebel' he talked about the album, played parts of a few songs and then he played 'Thank you for the music' on the piano while Norwegian singer Wencke Myhre sang along. September 16, 2017 In celebration of original release of "The Album" four decades ago, Polar Music (via Universal Music Group) are releasing several tantalising anniversary reissues. They are as follows: A limited edition 7" box set featuring the three singles from the album on coloured vinyl, featuring the UK number one 'The Name Of The Game'/'I Wonder (Departure)', the international Top Three smash 'Take A Chance On Me'/'I'm A Marionette' and the European Top Ten hit 'Eagle'/'Thank You For The Music' The three 7" singles released separately as limited-edition picture discs A half-speed mastered, 45rpm cut double-LP version of the original album. This rare and specialised technique transforms difficult to cut high-end frequencies into relatively easy to cut mid-range frequencies. The result is a cut with excellent high frequency response and very solid and stable stereo images. In short, half-speed mastering produced a master of the highest quality that enables the pressing plant to produce a superlative record. This reissue of ABBA – The Album will also feature new liner notes by noted ABBA historian Carl Magnus Palm, detailing the story behind the album. All products will be released October 27, 2017. German RTL 2 TV will show the ABBA-themed "Pop-Giganten" on October 3, 2017 at 22:15 local time. Regina will be interviewed among others. Benny's album 'Piano' is released on September 29 on CD and on November 10, 2017 on vinyl. Benny confirmed that ABBA's virtual reality tour is being planned for 2019. Benny will be guest of Ken Bruce on BBC Radio 2 on September 27 promoting his "Piano" album and performing some tracks. You can listen online here. September 10, 2017 You can already buy the song "Chess" from Benny's album "Piano" on Spotify, Amazon etc. A new trailer is here. Benny was in Berlin on September 5 and 6 to promote his album "Piano". Here are some   videos. On September 7, Benny was in Hamburg to perform "Thank you for the Music" from the album at the Deutscher Radiopreis 2017. You can watch the whole show here. Benny performs at the end of the show. The ABBA Fan Club made an interview with Benny before. You can read the interview in the next ABBA magazine No. 81. Here is a photo, more photos will follow in ABBA 81. September 4, 2017 Benny will perform at the Carmen Nebel Show on Saturday, September 30 on German ZDF TV. The Deutscher Radiopreis gala on Thursday September 7, also with Benny, will be shown live on German NDR3 TV from 22:00 local time! Thanks to Günther. September 1, 2017 Benny will present his new album "Piano" on September 7, 2017 at the Deutscher Radiopreis gala (German radio award) in the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. Unfortunately there are no tickets for sale, but a live stream will be on the web. Thanks to Egbert from Hamburg! August 24, 2017 Universal Pictures have announced that principal photography has begun on MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN. Ten years after MAMMA MIA! THE MOVIE grossed more than $600 million around the world, you are invited to return to the magical Greek island of Kalokairi in an all-new original musical based on the songs of ABBA. With the film's original cast returning and new additions including Lily James (Cinderella, Baby Driver), the musical comedy will open on July 20, 2018. August 19, 2017 Today, Frida was being interviewed live on stage in her former hometown Torshälla, Sweden. Frida was joined by Gunnar Sandevärn, whom she worked with in the 1960s, and they shared memories from these years as young artists and musicians. Frida also talked about her solo records after ABBA and about the new virtual ABBA concert concept. After the interview, Frida collected her music award she was already given in 2014 but couldn't attend the ceremony back then. More photos and full report in the upcoming issue of ABBA .   Photos © by Micke Bayart Special thanks to Micke Bayart! August 18, 2017 Deutsche Grammophon has confirmed to us that pre-orders have begun for Benny Andersson's forthcoming album 'Piano'. The album will be released on 29 September 2017 on CD and vinyl. Pre-order the album and listen to excerpts here. A preview video, featuring Benny at his piano, can be watched here. 'Thank you for the music' from Benny's new album is already available. You can also see the full track list from the album here. The amusement park Tivoli in Copenhagen will have its 175th anniversary in 2018. Celebrations include the first professional Danish language stage production of CHESS on January 19 - February 10. After that the production goes on tour in Denmark: Musikhuset Aarhus (February 20 - March 3), Odeon (March 6-10), Velje Musikhus (March 13-17) and Musikteatret Holstebro (March 21-24). 2/3 of the tickets are already sold. More infos are here. Thanks to Pentti Koponen. August 13, 2017 Björn says in a new interview for Besöksliv that the next new thing for ABBA The Museum is something they call Post ABBA. Everyone asks what happened after ABBA stopped in 1982. Now they will tell how B&B created musicals and Frida and Agnetha did their solo albums - the story from 1982 until today. Björn will be deeply involved in this project. Thanks to Pentti Koponen. August 8, 2017 Filming of Mamma Mia The Movie 2 is going on on the Croatian island Vis and should be finished by the end of October 2017. The premiere of the second part will take place in summer 2018. More casting news for Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!: Jeremy Irvine plays young Sam and Alexa Davies will be seen in the role of young Rosie. It has not yet been confirmed if Susan Walters reprises her role in the new film. Previously it has been announced that we will see Lily James in the role of young Donna. Thanks to Pentti Koponen. August 2, 2017 Swedish newspaper Corren has published an interview with Björn. In June Björn has been sailing around Sardinia and Korsika for two weeks. July he has mainly spent in the Stockholm archipelago. Björn repeats his desire to write a new musical, he thinks it's more fun than writing separate songs. The problem is that he has no time as he has so many other things going on. Running 45 minutes is Björn's daily routine and he listens to audio books or watches films on the treadmill. He also listens to classical music on Swedish radio P2, radio station Vinyl and news on P1. When it comes to books, Björn reads non-fictional stuff, like Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari. Paddling with kayak is something that Björn loves, doing that alone for 2-3 hours in the Stockholm archipelago is wonderful. Björn says that he often meets his children and grandchildren. They (16 persons) make a trip together every year, this December they will travel to Sri Lanka. Thanks to Pentti Koponen. July 27, 2017 The new ABBA Calendar 2018 by Heel Verlag has been released and can be ordered here. Like every year, it contains 12 large-sized, brilliant photos in great quality. Benny is planning a new album with piano music. German record company "Deutsche Grammophon" will relase a CD or double CD "Benny Andersson - Piano" with 22 tracks in autumn, including ABBA hits like "Thank You For The Music" and tracks from his solo albums and musicals. Here are newspaper reports from Upsala Nya Tidning and Expressen. June 12, 2017 The final season of the Swedish TV show "Moraeus med mera" will be recorded soon. Kalle Moraeus will have Benny Andersson and Orsa Spelmän as guests on June 18. Thanks to Pentti Koponen. June 8, 2017 ABBA No. 80 has now been printed and is being mailed to all fan club members worldwide. Look forward to 36 colour pages in A4 size with exclusive photos. This time we have a special report for you about the Swedish photographer Michael Brannäs, who has provided some previously unpublished photos. As always the issue includes more interviews, news, special reports, further exclusive photos and a great poster. We will also invite you to a little mini fan club meeting on September 2, 2017 in Essen. Contents: News Extra with all the news about releases, ABBA, Agnetha, Benny, Björn, Frida, ABBA-related artists Systerpolskan - Concert with Benny Report about WorldofDinner - ABBA Deluxe Tribute Dinner Show Our ABBA competition with lots of exclusive prizes Exclusive interview with Swedish photographer Michael Brannäs Special report on the 30th anniversary of "I Stand Alone" Exclusive interview with Bruce Gaitsch Special report "40 Years of Arrival" Part 2 Report about ABBA's concert in Perth 1977 with memories from one of our members Special report "Björn & Benny - Thank You For The 50 Years of Music" Part 2 Open letter to Björn & Benny from one of our members A3 Poster with one of the most beautiful photos taken by the late photographer Torbjörn Calvero.             We hope you enjoy this issue and look forward to your feedback. May 17, 2017 Today May 17th, a unique and historical photo exhibition opens at ABBA The Museum: Gröna Lund Backstage. Gröna Lund is not only an amusement park but also a popular venue for concerts where Swedish and international artists have been performing during the last decades on an open-air stage, e.g. The Beatles, Europe, Tina Turner, Carola, Björn Skifs and ABBA to name but a few. This new exhibition shows the backstage experience with unique photos, films and sound clips. Björn Ulvaeus inaugurated the museum's latest attraction together with Swedish artist Ola Salo (former member of 'The Ark') and iconic Swedish singer Lill-Babs, amongst others. Thanks to Micke Bayart! A discussion with Frida and Gunnar Sandevärn, hosted by Alar Kuutmann will take place in Torshälla on August 19 at 4 PM. The one hour long event with free admission will be an open air stage event in the park Krusgårdsparken. After the discussion Frida will accept the Eskilstuna city's music prize that she already got in 2014, but was unable to collect back then. Thanks to Pentti Koponen! April 25, 2017 April 2, 2017 In 1992, the album "The Munich Philharmonic Orchestra plays ABBA Classic" was published, a very well produced album in brilliant quality. We are happy to tell you that it is now available again for download. In ABBA No. 9 & 10 we had a full report about the album and an interview with its producer. Please listen to parts of the songs and buy the album here: Giacomo Records The label Cupol will re-release Agnetha Fältskog's "Som jag är" on vinyl in conjunction with the Record Store Day the 21st of April. March 13, 2017 Southbank Centre’s annual flagship festival WOW – Women of the World, supported by Bloomberg, came to a close on Sunday 12 March. And ABBA superstar Björn Ulvaeus made a surprise appearance to sing his famous hit 'Waterloo' alongside Sandi Toksvig, comedian Holly Walsh, West End star Anna-Jane Casey, singer Jumoké Fashola and opera star Anne Sofie von Otter in Mirth Control, the festival’s annual night of music and comedy. The event had a Nordic theme and was a fitting finale to this year's festival which – among a myriad of other topics – explored the social learnings of the Nordic countries that consistently top the gender equality indexes, as part of Southbank Centre's year of Nordic programming Nordic Matters. Thanks to Peter Dyke! February 20, 2017 Universal confirmed that they will re-release albums like 'Lycka', 'Frida Ensam', 'Shine', 'Wrap your arms around me', 'Eyes of a woman' etc. on vinyl later this year. They will give more details on their site soon. Björn Ulvaeus attended a presentation about how Stockholm will market itself internationally in the coming years on February 14. Both 'ABBA - The Museum' and 'Mamma Mia! The Party' attract tourists from around the world and make the Swedish capital, amongst many other attractions, a place worth visiting. February 12, 2017 The new composition by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, entitled 'Vi äger drömmarna' ('We Own The Dreams'), as performed at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm recently, can be heard here. February 8, 2017 Swedish TV has produced a documentary about Gustaf Sjökvist and it will be screened on TV2, on Saturday February 11 at 7:05 PM and again the next day at 12:40 PM. Benny appears in the documentary. Thanks to Pentti Koponen. February 2, 2017 Marie-Louise Ekman's new production "Försökskaninerna" featuring music by Benny will premiere at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm on March 30. The play is about a woman (played by Marie Göranzon) moving into a dementia home and what happens in the real world and inside her head. January 29, 2017 Svenska Dagbladet reports that a new composition by Björn & Benny was performed in Stockholm last Thursday. It is called "Vi äger drömmarna om hopp i en orostid" ("we dream of hope in a time of unrest") and the lyrics were written by Björn. The new campus of The Royal College of Music in Stockholm was officially opened on Thursday in attendance of the King and Queen of Sweden. The concert of the evening included the first official public performance of a new composition by Benny Andersson. Benny and Mona attended the event. Thanks to Pentti Koponen. January 17, 2017 A minor update to Frida's visit to Torshälla: The organiser of the event, Alar Kuutmann, has told the media that Frida's old friend and co-musician Gunnar Sandevärn will contact Frida in January to discuss the date. Then the organisers are considering the place where the public discussion will be held. Interest is expected to be big. But of course, it will be done in a format that Frida feels comfortable with. Thanks to Pentti Koponen. January 14, 2017 Friday February 3rd the Göteborg International Film Festival celebrates its 40th anniversary with a gala screening of ABBA The Movie celebrating its 40th anniversary 2017 as well. The red carpet screening at Grand Theatre (Stora Teatern) in Gothenburg will be followed by an ABBA party at the Kulturarena. Tickets and information Thanks to Niklas Albinsson-Collander! Björn told Swedish 'Dagens Nyheter' that he has plans to bring Mamma Mia! The Party to London in 2018. He still looks for a suitable location for the experience. 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 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2004.

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