Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus - Kristina Fran Duvemala (1996 Swedish Cast)

1995 musical based on the Swedish emigration to America at the end of the 19th century. Abba's male half contributed much to the production: Benny Andersson composed & arranged the music; Bjorn Ulvaeus wrote the text. Comes in a slipcasebox with a 70 page booklet that features pictures from the stage production and full lyrics (though almost all are written & sung in Swedish). Crucial collector's item for die-hard ABBA fans. The song titles are written in Swedish as all. Each CD is a different brown & white picture disc. 1995release on M. Album Description

Kristina Fran Duvemala

Bjorn Ulvaeus said he wanted his lyrics to mature with him. ABBA progressed from Arrival to Super Trouper. Then came the Chess musical with Tim Rice. In the 1990s, Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus attained their greatest depth. They staged Kristina fran Duvemala, a musical based on The Emigrants series, four novels by Swedish author Vilhelm Moberg. It is the story of the Swedish emigrants who came to the United States in the 1850s. Kristina fran Duvemala contains over 20 songs and is four hours in length. It is based on historical novels, so its main characters, Kristina and Karl Oskar Nilsson, never existed although there were Swedes like them. Fictitious though they are, there is a statue of the couple in Lindstrom, Minnesota. Moberg went to the area to do research. He spent 12 years on his novels, mingling fact and fiction. The novels embrace Karl Oskar's vision. Benny and Bjorn focus on Kristina, her homesickness and her inability to adapt to life in America. Benny and Bjorn are masters of feminine psychology. Their talents lie in probing the female psyche. In an era when family values are discussed, this story demonstrates their essence. Kristina and Karl Oskar strive against harsh natural forces to ensure their children a future. Kristina fran Duvemala opened in Malmo, Sweden, in 1995. It was in Swedish. Performances of the music were given in Minneapolis in 1996 near the site of the original emigrants' landing. Benny and Bjorn set an English translation as their goal. Eventually, the English version will play Broadway and tour the United States. The success of Mamma Mia! helped.

That Benny and Bjorn chose to work with a Swedish classic gave them an advantage they would not otherwise have had. They did not have to start from scratch. They contributed to their national heritage. Kristina fran Duvemala is something to learn from as much as it is something to be enjoyed.

I read Vilhelm Moberg's four novels, 1,058 pages. He began writing in 1947. Even though he wrote his books during the Cold War, they read like something from the Victorian era. They are a throwback, foreign to the age of automobiles and airplanes. Moberg died in 1973.

After reading the first book, I was curious as to how Karl Oskar and his group would fare in America. The second book deepened my understanding of the characters. By the third, I felt Moberg was piling up scenes.

I should distinguish between two words. Emigrants are people who leave a country. Immigrants are people who enter a country.

In the early 1970s, Jan Troell turned The Emigrants into a film starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann. Troell actually made two films. The sequel is called The New Land. The films incorporate all four books. They are meticulously faithful.

Benny and Bjorn drew from the novels rather than the films. They squeezed out the essence of the story, converting its prose into Swedish folk music and lyrics. Their soundtrack is monumental. I noted the equation. Four novels equal two movies equal one stage musical. A logical progression.

The Emigrants embodies the same Swedish soul that ABBA's music does. Songs like Move On, I Wonder (Departure), Eagle and I Have A Dream echo the emigrants' courage and determination to set out. I thought of One Man, One Woman in connection with Karl Oskar's and Kristina's marriage. I heard The Visitors when I read of Danjel's home being entered by Church authorities. Going into the theater was a quantum leap for Benny and Bjorn.

February 22, 2008

ABSOLUTELY GREAT!

I am not exactly a musical fan, but KRISTINA FRAN DUVEMALA has been sending shivers down my spine since I first listened to it some 5 years ago. Don't mind if you don't understand any Swedish, just buy this cd set, sit back and enjoy time and again. TIP: download a translation, this will make you enjoy KRISTINA even more. GREAT STORY, GREAT MUSIC, GREAT SINGING. And start reading the EMIGRANT NOVELS by Vilhelm Moberg on which this musical was based... February 5, 2007

Ja! A pinnacle of musical achievement.

This is simply one of the greatest pieces of musical theatre ever written. I hate to compare it with Chess, which is also one of my favorites -- instead I'll say that the two musicals are quite complimentary and showcase different aspects of Benny & Bjorn's talents. Kristina's music is more operatic, serious, lush, and dramatic, with rock replaced to a large extent by folk and classical elements.
A nice thing about Kristina is getting to listen carefully to delicate, subtle touches in the music that aren't as easy to hear in music with a rock emphasis. Kristina is very driven by melody and gorgeous harmony (not to say Chess doesn't have amazing melody and harmony as well -- but think of Kristina as focusing most of its energy on the musical elements of songs like "You and I" in Chess.) Du Maste Finnas, the climactic moment of the show, is especially moving because it reverts back to a more classic Chess/ABBA sound that has been somehow fused with the more operatic character of the rest of the show. The key changes are quite surprising and the music is beautiful. When the chorus starts rocking, we are treated to a moment with an unmistakeable Benny Andersson piano figure that sounds just like the quick repeated chords in Dancing Queen or The Winner Takes it All -- so within this one song, we move gradually from a super-dramatic orchestral introduction to a brief ABBA moment and back to the operatic world. Somehow this works beautifully.
Kristina does leave one wanting more as a non-Swedish speaker. I hope an English production and cast album will appear to help cement the importance of this score in English-speaking countries. One can hope that perhaps Tim Rice will help out again on the translation. Kristina also impresses so much that I am impatient to hear what B&B come up with next! April 18, 2006

Breathtaking

I have had this Musical on CD from the day of release, I do not speak a word of Swedish.

This is simply a Masterpiece, both with Music & Lyrics. I believe the Musical is coming to Broadway 2006/2007. With the english translation this will be huge. I can only say Mamma Mia is a Hit. So will this.

Debbie
New Zealand August 31, 2005

B&B's masterpiece

This is serious music, let me say this first of all.

Benny Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus addressed their considerable talents to compacting Vilhelm Moberg's tetralogy "The Emigrants" (a masterpiece as well) into a piece of musical theatre and have succeeded beyond credence.

It is an emotional work, to which some wonderful singers contribute. I shall mention Helen Sjöholm (Kristina) as representative of them all. Her "Du måsta finnas" is as moving as anything I have heard in music.

The compositional techniques used go across the entire range. There are anthems (of course: nobody can compose them like Benny), there are full-blown orchestral pieces, drums, organs, pianos, guitars are used.

And there is the utterly heart-rending conclusion "I Gott Bevar", which is simple and very pure, which I am listening to as I write and which again brings tears to my eyes and ever will.

It seems Kristina will be coming to America. May she arrive as pure as she is in this recording.

In my opinion, this is music of the highest order.

Charley March 26, 2005

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