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ABBA is back in Stockholm:
The first major exhibition dedicated to the supergroup
Another ABBA premiere in Stockholm! Nordiska museet is the first museum anywhere in the world to present a major exhibition on the legendary Swedish pop group of the 1970s which has achieved cult status across the globe.
Around the world anticipation is building ahead of the grand opening of "ABBA - The Exhibition" on 3 November in Stockholm. The exhibition, which runs until summer 2000, has already captured the imagination of the media in Germany, Australia and the US and the reason is simple - everyone loves ABBA's music.
Few artists have been so successful. ABBA still tops the charts with the album ABBA Gold 25 years after their triumph at the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton with their smash hit Waterloo and 17 years after the group split up. In London Bj�rn Ulveaus and Benny Andersson's musical Mama Mia based on ABBA's music has been playing to full houses since last spring.
In 1974 10-year olds listened to ABBA and today's 10-year olds are listening to the same songs. As Li S�dermark head of information at Nordiska museet explains, ABBA was and still is popular with everyone from pop fans to punk rockers, reaching iconic status in gay culture for example.
ABBA on the Net
Technical and historical developments came thick and fast during the group's 25-year career.
"ABBA - the Exhibition is also a document of social change since the 70s, from revolts against yuppies and mobile phones in the 80s to the death of ideology in the 90s. The wind of change may be gale force, but ABBA is still up there, with the group's popularity growing all the time. Just look at the myriad ABBA sites on the Internet. When the group split in 1982 songs were pressed on vinyl records. Today it's the CD of ABBA Gold topping the charts. So what's the secret?
"The group created an inimitable ABBA sound with the help of skilful sound engineering. Not even modern computer technology can recreate that. There is no doubt either that the success of ABBA has opened doors internationally for Swedish artists such as Robyn," explains Li S�dermark.
Sights, sounds and memories
Of course music is at the heart of the ABBA exhibition, along with the memories and feelings it awakens. ABBA is part of our cultural heritage, which is why it's Nordiska museet that is putting on the exhibition. The technical focus is on sound and light with a positive feast of ABBA memorabilia for visitors to enjoy, much of it quite rare as merchandising was much less developed back then. The exhibition also contains a number of pictures never seen before spanning the group's entire career. Nordiska museet will literally be rocking to ABBA in the autumn and winter with a wide range of events to accompany the exhibition: entertainment, music, food and karaoke�
Nordiska museet is open 10-21 Tue-Sun, closed Mon.
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