Former ABBA members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus turned to an epic series of novels by Vilhelm Moberg about the plight of 19th century Swedish emigrants in America as the source for their epic, four-hour musical Kristina, which had its premiere in Malmö in 1995. The compression of 1,800 pages of narrative into a single evening necessitates some radical condensation, but the reviews of that production testify that it was a powerfully effective, coherent, and moving experience. Featuring a large cast and chorus ...
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Former ABBA members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus turned to an epic series of novels by Vilhelm Moberg about the plight of 19th century Swedish emigrants in America as the source for their epic, four-hour musical Kristina, which had its premiere in Malmö in 1995. The compression of 1,800 pages of narrative into a single evening necessitates some radical condensation, but the reviews of that production testify that it was a powerfully effective, coherent, and moving experience. Featuring a large cast and chorus accompanied by a full orchestra, the musical is a serious and thoughtful take on a panoramic drama that spans the lifetime of its principals. This version of the music from a semi-staged production at Carnegie includes 35 songs and lasts nearly two and a half hours. The actions between the songs are briefly summarized, so it's possible to follow the story easily, and the spoken interludes are so skillfully underscored that the performance has a seamless continuity that keeps it from seeming...
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