On Saturday, March 1, the Peterborough Singers will help lighten your mood with the upbeat melodies and harmonies of ABBA. From super hits such as "Dancing Queen" to lesser known songs like "Lay All Your Love on Me," the choir and its guest band will have you tapping your toes and humming along, at the very least. The Singers' Artistic Director Syd Birrell, who is new to the Swedish pop group's music and story, is now an enthusiast. "Their music sparkles, their melodies are hugely memorable, and as I listen with a trained musician's ear, I find all kinds of subtleties in harmony and rhythm," he says.
No wonder, then, that the music of ABBA has appealed to audiences around the world and across time. In the 1970s, the group's Greatest Hits was the number two album of the decade in the UK, bested only by Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water. In the 1990s, another best-selling compilation album, ABBA Gold, and the movie Muriel's Wedding helped popularize the group again. Then came the world premiere of Mamma Mia! The musical opened in London's West End on April 6, 1999 – 25 years to the day of ABBA winning the Eurovision Song Contest with "Waterloo." That's staying power!
"ABBA's music continues to resurface generation after generation," says Pamela Birrell, who will conduct the sopranos and altos in "Super Trouper." Pam's assessment? "Pure joy, coupled with memorable tunes and great harmonies!" A fond memory for her is taking her daughter Rebecca and her daughter's friends to see an ABBA tribute band in Crary Park. It was Rebecca's eleventh birthday. "They thought they were all very cool, singing along to some of the songs. And they were shocked that I could sing them all," she laughs.
"Of course, I am absolutely intrigued that the music has appeal today to cross-generational fans," comments Syd Birrell. "How delightful that a grandmother and her daughter and her granddaughter enjoy listening to the same ABBA songs!" Indeed, many Peterborough Singers tell stories about ABBA's music bridging time and distance. Check out our website for some of these tales.
Another chorister, Melissa Wotherspoon, has a special memory of one of the pieces the Singers will present: "Anthem," from the 1980s musical Chess. Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, two of ABBA's most prolific composers, teamed up with lyricist Tim Rice, a huge ABBA fan, to create this musical.
"Anthem" is sung by a Russian grandmaster of chess who is defecting to the United States. "I am looking forward to conducting this breathtakingly beautiful piece," Melissa says. "Chess was the first musical that took me out of the orchestra and to the conductor's podium in university, so it holds a special place in my heart," she explains. "And this song is a deeply reflective piece that is transcendent and sublime – ideal for this moment." It explains that though a nation may commit horrifying atrocities that produce exiles and refugees, true love of country lasts "through wars, death and despair" because, ultimately, the only borders that matter are the ones we carry in our hearts.
Most of the songs are not so poignant. (Melissa will also conduct "Take a Chance on Me," for example.) But perhaps, in their cheerful, uplifting jauntiness, they are just as important now. "The ABBA concert comes at a time of huge turmoil in the world, when hopes are being dashed and a great darkness seems to overshadow us," notes Syd Birrell. "What can I do? How can we help?" Syd hopes that this concert will let everyone "just be joyful and have fun, so that music can do its work." In the words of an ABBA song "perfect for our times," Syd explains, "I have a dream, a song to sing, to help me cope with anything!"
Music of ABBA: Saturday, March 1, 2025, 2:00 pm, at Emmanuel United Church
Tickets: $40 adults, $10 students Tickets are available by calling the Singers' office at 705-745-1820, at Pammett's Flower Shop, Ashburnham Foot & Ankle Centre, Happenstance Books & Yarns (Lakefield), and through our website.
