Kristina: At Carnegie Hall [Soundtrack]

Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Russell Watson, ABBA | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 4, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B0039RHT5K
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,450 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Kristina is a major musical theater saga, composed by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, original members of the legendary ABBA and composers of the theater and movie sensation, MAMMA MIA! Based on famous Swedish novels of the 1950s, Kristina tells the moving story of several families who left famine plagued Sweden in the 1850s to find a new life in America. This concert performance, recorded live at Carnegie Hall, was a sold out event. The complete recording is a MUST HAVE for fans of the great Benny and Bjorn and musical theater lovers. Recorded live at Carnegie Hall in late 2009, Kristina features internationally renowned performers Russell Watson, Helen Sjoholm, and Louise Pitre (MAMMA MIA!). Broadway legend Paul Gemignani conducts a 50 piece orchestra and 20 member chorus. Elaborate package includes 2 CDs and 48 page booklet containing a synopsis, photographs and complete lyrics.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the wait, May 4, 2010

By 

Steven Valenti "svclue" (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Kristina: At Carnegie Hall (Audio CD)

From the ABBA guys Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus comes, finally, a follow-up to their crowd-pleasing 80s score, "Chess." Actually, "Kristina: At Carnegie Hall" is the first English language version of "Kristina fran Duvemala," a huge musical hit in Sweden in the 90s. It was worth the wait.

I will say straight off that the 90s-ness definitely shows- "Kristina" falls mainly in the pop opera style that dominated musical theater in the 80s and 90s (the translation is by Herbert Kretzmer, who also wrote the English lyrics of "Les Miserables"). This serious story, based on a series of novels by Vilhem Moberg, is about Swedish immigrants facing various hardships as they settle in America, and it's certainly more insistently somber and period than most musicals these days. The plot is episodic, and as this newest version is truncated down to some two and a half hours from the original four(!), one has to assume the cuts have made the plot feel more disjointed than it appeared originally.

The music, though, is fantastic, and actually falls a bit more on the "opera" side of "pop opera." Which is to say, don't come to "Kristina" to find the pop-rock quality so dominant in "Chess." This has a more symphonic sound, mixed in with some folksiness (these are poor immigrants in a mid-1800's setting, after all) and one of the stars, the superb Russell Watson, sings with an operatic tenor. In comparison, this is more in the mode of the more "classical" numbers in "Chess" ("You and I," "Anthem," "A Model of Decorum of Tranquility," etc.). To be sure, there are some pop-rock inflections here and there, but this is no "Mamma Mia!" You can, however, expect soaring, emotion-packed melodies that remind you how transporting the best musicals can be.

In addition to Watson, the cast is rounded out by standout performers, including Kevin Odekirk, Louise Pitre, and as Kristina, the phenomenal Helen Sjoholm (who originated the role). Her rendition of "You Have to Be There," near the end of this two-disc set is downright spine tingling. And there are many other songs to savor in "Kristina." If there are a few spots that lag, that's okay: there is so much here of high quality, it feels beside the point- "Kristina" delivers more memorable numbers than the typical musical score. I don't know if Broadway plans will ever come about, but this is definite confirmation that BB are among the best theater composers we have. I hope we don't have to wait as long for their next show. Or, for that matter, an English translation of a fifteen-year-old show!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, May 5, 2010

By 

Joel Gabbard (Indiana) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kristina: At Carnegie Hall (Audio CD)

This is a superb recording of the live concert version presented at Carnegie Hall. I've been waiting years for the English translation, and it does not disappoint, though my only complaint is that, with the translations, it seems to have lost some of it's intensity, especially in the showstopper, Du Maste Finnas (You have to be there).

In any case, this is well worth the purchase to ANY musical theater fan. You won't find a better score, or a more emotional journey. It's a shame that there will probably not be an actual production of the musical, but sadly, I don't think that any production would really do the music justice.

Get this album(s). Well worth the money, and worth the wait.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Two reasons to buy this, May 14, 2010

By 

Roderick Keech (Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Kristina: At Carnegie Hall (Audio CD)

I am not going to discuss the merits of the musical, nor the concert version - rather why you would want to buy this as opposed to the complete original (no longer available for sale on Amazon.com)which I saw in Sweden in the '90s, or the highlights CD from the same recording Kristina Fran Duvemala Basta.

I think this recording, from the two performances in Carnegie Hall in September 2009, is worth purchasing for two reasons:

1. It is in English, which makes it a lot easier for non-Swedish speakers, and
2. To hear the well-deserved and thunderous applause and ovation for Helen Sjöholm when she sings Du måste finnas (You have to be there).

Hers is a fantastic voice that seems not at all diminished in the intervening 10+ years since first recording this score - if only we could hear more. Sadly for fans she seems to be concentrating more on acting, leaving us unsure of when and if she will record again. (If you want to see an excellent account of her acting (& singing) abilities I recommend the Academy Award nominated film As It Is in Heaven. The soundtrack is also fantastic and is available from Amazon.de, and titled 'Wie im Himmel').

Unfortunately, Kevin Odekirk is no Peter Jöback, whose voice and interpretations are definitive as 'Robert' Flera Sidor Av Samma Man. Even Tommy Körberg's version of 'Robert's' Guldet blev till sand (Gold can turn to sand) Fran Waterloo Till Duvemala wins hands down over Oderkirk's.

Despite having more strings than in a normal theatre pit, the American Theatre Orchestra's often sound thin and a little harsh.

In summary, if you are a fan of Helen Sjöholm and the songs she sings in this musical, I strongly recommend this, as I don't feel the remainder of the cast live up to the original recording.