I thought I would let you know about the recording of Kristina från Duvemåla from Carnegie Hall.
If you remember I posted a video from the concert back in September when it happened and the CD finally came out last week, just in time for a performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Helen Sjöholm stars as Kristina, the role she originated back in 1995, alongside Russel Watson as Karl Oskar, Louise Pitre as Ulrika and Kevin Odekirk as Robert.
The music by Benny and Björn is simply enchanting with it's flowing melodies and two part harmonies similar to those ABBA ones we know so well. The whole 35 track soundtrack is slightly tedious to get through due to the depressing story (I don't want to put you off by telling you it - Wikipedia it if you must!) but track number 30, Helen's performance of 'You Have To Be There' makes listening to the whole thing worthwhile. Her voice is outstanding and her performance is simply sensational. I am told she received a three minute standing ovation at the Albert Hall last week which I'm sure was deserved if her performance on the 14th was as flawless as it is on this recording. She makes a beautiful song even more beautiful.
I bought this soundtrack only really knowing one song. It was a huge gamble even though I am a B&B fan. I was most definitely not disappointed and I'm thrilled that I actually made the decision to buy it. I don't know if I could handle seeing the show as it is possibly more sad than Les Miserables and Miss Saigon put together (I was in floods of tears at both) but I would love to be given the opportunity. I don't know if it's quite ready to be made in to a full English production - some of the translation from the original Swedish lyrics is a bit harsh and due to the amount of words sometimes crammed in to one line it makes understanding the singers quite difficult. I have no doubt that if you are a hardcore musical theatre fan then you will LOVE the music in Kristina.
