From Playbill.com
A new website has been launched for the upcoming Carnegie Hall concerts
of Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' Kristina (with English lyrics by
Herbert Kretzmer), which will play the famed Manhattan venue Sept. 23 and 24.
Interested theatregoers who visit kristinathemusical.com will find:
· Video of Benny Andersson, Björn
Ulvaeus, Paul Gemignani and Helen Sjöholm in the studio in Sweden
· Letter from Benny Andersson and
Björn Ulvaeus
· Slide show of photos from the
original Swedish production of Kristina and production history
· Star and creative team
biographies for the upcoming Carnegie Hall concert
· Reviews of previous Kristina
productions.
· Helen Sjöholm singing the newly
released Benny Andersson Band single "Story of a Heart"
Helen Sjöholm, who originated the title role in the Swedish production
of Kristina, will repeat her work for New York audiences at Carnegie
Hall. She will be joined by internationally renowned tenor Russell Watson.
Directed by Lars Rudolfsson, the complete 32-member company will be
announced shortly. Paul Gemignani will conduct a 50-piece symphony orchestra.
Universal Music's Decca Records will record both evenings and will
release a CD at a future date.
The show's plot is based on four novels by Swedish author Vilhelm
Moberg. Kristina from Duvemala premiered at the Malmo Music Theatre on
Oct. 7, 1995, and has played Gothenburg's Opera House and Stolkholm's Cirkus
Theatre, among others.
In October 2005 Ulvaeus had this to say about Kristina:
"It's about immigrants going from the south of Sweden in the 1850s to
America," Ulvaeus told Playbill.com. "It's about their lives. It's an
epic saga really. We did that in Sweden successfully — ran for about three
years in various cities. . . . And then we wanted to translate it [into
English] because we thought it was American history as well. It's really more
American history than Swedish. Herbert Kretzmer did [the translation] with me,
and we did a workshop here in New York in March to find out what people didn't
understand, what the weaknesses were and what it would be like to do it in
English. And, we really learned a lot
from that."
Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson also collaborated on the rock musical Chess
(with lyricist Tim Rice), and their songs are heard in the international hit Mamma
Mia!
Helen Sjöholm's breakthrough performance was in the title role of the
original Swedish production of Kristina. She is currently starring in My
Fair Lady at the Oscars Theatre in Stockholm, and is a lead vocalist in The
Benny Andersson Band.
Platinum-selling recording artist Russell Watson is known as "The
People's Tenor" in his native Britain. Watson was the first British male
to simultaneously occupy a No. 1 spot in the U.K. and American classical
charts, as well as the first artist to have a classical album at the No. 1 spot
in the U.K. classical charts for an entire year.
Tickets for the fall concerts are available by visiting the Carnegie
Hall Box Office (57th Street and Seventh Avenue), by calling (212) 247-7800 or
by logging on to www.carnegiehall.org.
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