The music of ABBA has continued to endure across generations. Not only confined to the realm of pop music, the songs and compositions have also stretched into film and musicals over the years. As such, the music influence of ABBA certainly cannot be understated.
This December, fans of the legendary Swedish pop super group will be treated to a unique musical presentation at the talented hands of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO). Led by conductor Gerard Salonga, the concert ‘Arrival from Sweden: The Music of ABBA’ will see the MPO breaking out of the box, fusing pop and classical elements.
Set to take place on Friday, 2 December 2022 at 8:30 pm at Plenary Hall, Kuala Lumpur Convention Center (KLCC), the concert will see the orchestra perform alongside Arrival From Sweden, one of the world’s most popular and best-selling ABBA tribute bands.
Ahead of the concert, we sit down with Salonga to find out what audiences can expect from the concert and the endearing appeal of the music of ABBA.
As the conductor leading this concert, how excited are you to be able to be part of this unique collaboration with ARRIVAL from Sweden?
I’ve been a fan of ABBA’s music for a very long time – way before I even knew what or where Sweden was. My dad collected ABBA cassettes (you know – cassettes!) and played them in the car and in the house. My sister and I loved singing along to their tunes, and their music formed part of the soundtrack of our childhood, along with Mozart and Beethoven!
What are the dynamics – music wise – involved having an orchestra play together with a band. As a conductor does it make your job harder?
Over the years I’ve done quite a bit of these types of concerts, the most high-profile of which would probably be when I conducted the concert of The Beach Boys with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 2016. Musically and professionally speaking, it’s really not that much different than any other type of collaboration. That’s the key word really: collaboration. If all the musicians on the stage, including the band, are well-prepared and sensitive to what’s going on, then it’s very possible that just 5 minutes into the first rehearsal it’ll seem like we’ve been playing together for years.
I expect the music to be familiar to everyone on the stage regardless of age group, as the music of ABBA has been in the public consciousness across generations of listeners, more recently because of Mamma Mia! MPO musicians come to work well-prepared anyway, and ARRIVAL From Sweden has been doing this for some time, and has performed with orchestras all over the world, so I expect that things will go very smoothly, and we’ll all have a terrific time.
We noticed the switch to the KL Convention Centre instead of the DFP for this concert. With a change of venue, are there challenges involved acoustics wise?
For situations like this one – going into a bigger venue that does not have the acoustical qualities of a classical concert hall such as the DFP, high-quality sound reinforcement is necessary. Many orchestras need to handle it that way when they go into a large arena or convention centre.
ARRIVAL From Sweden will be bringing their front of house (FOH) mixing engineer with them, and he’ll be joined by local audio guru Sunil Kumar, who has worked with the MPO for many years, and is no stranger to the demands of these types of projects. With those guys on board (literally and figuratively!), it’s going to sound great.
In terms of composition, why do you think the music of ABBA has continued to hold appeal across generations?
On a musical level, there are so many things they did right. Rhythm, intervals, keys, lyrics, harmony, and just enough repetition to be memorable and yet not to the point of intolerable monotony. The production values in their records as well – influenced by that “wall of sound” that Phil Spectre initiated.
They double tracked a lot to give it that huge, chorus effect sound without getting muddy. These were all a product of skill on the part of the songwriters, producers, engineers, and performers. Music, however, is a combination of skill and sheer intuition. They landed the right combinations and touched listeners (this one included) with their music, plain and simple. Their music, and everything that went with it, including the sparkly costumes, made an imprint on the public that we can see has not been forgotten, and maybe never will be.
Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus have an obviously strong classical sensibility in their music, and you can really hear it in their work on the musical Chess (I suggest a listen to the original recording with the London Symphony Orchestra). I think this has a lot to do with the impact their music has on the listener.
What’s your favourite ABBA song?
The hardest question of the interview. All of it will be enjoyable for sure, but a personal top 3 would have to be ‘Chiquitita’, ‘Thank You for The Music’, and ‘Take a Chance on Me’.
And which song you look forward to conducting at the concert?
Two pieces. ‘The Intermezzo’, which I’ve loved since I was a kid. There’s an obvious progressive rock influence, and I’m a huge fan of that. Of course the evening won’t be complete without ‘Dancing Queen’. I’m sure the audience will erupt right from the first few notes of the intro…the energy on the stage and from the audience is something I look forward to very much.
For further information and concert details visit MPO’s official website.
(Images: MPO)
