The idea was so obvious that you wondered why no one had thought of it before: in 2017, Benny Andersson made an album of instrumental music that he had written during his long career. Andersson had been performing on stage with various bands for years before he achieved worldwide fame in 1974 as the pianist and composer of ABBA.
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Singers Agneta Fältskog and Frida Lyngstad were the eye-catchers of the Swedish group, but on closer listening, the songs stood out for their sophisticated structure. The thoughtful arrangements gave the music a classical undertone. The quality of the songs is evident from the fact that, fifty years on, they still sound as good as new.
For his album, produced for the classical label Deutsche Grammophon, Andersson selected the songs that are most dear to him. He played them on the Fazioli grand piano in his studio in Stockholm. Of the Abba songs, ‘The Day Before You Came’ and ‘My Love, My Life’ stand out in particular. The melodies are strong enough without words, although memories of the 1970s songs play a role in any case.
In addition to the Abba repertoire, Andersson draws on the musicals he wrote with his partner Björn Ulvaeus, Ulvaeus was the lyricist. Chess became an international success, while Kristina Från Duvemåla did particularly well in Sweden. ‘I Let The Music Speak from My Visitors’ from Chess seems to have come straight out of Chopin’s repertoire. ‘Thank You For The Music’ sounds like a ragtime by Scott Joplin, while ‘Anthem’ and ‘En Skrift I Snon’ are noticeably influenced by Bach.
Andersson now has his own orchestra, with which he plays folk music with a classical touch. An ABBA reunion is out of the question; none of the former band members want to stand in the spotlight as a pale reflection of their former selves. They prefer to send holograms around the world. The album Piano is an excellent alternative. The down-to-earth Benny Andersson has never wanted to bask in his success for long. He prefers to explore new avenues, surprising his ageing fans with refined performances of his timelessly beautiful songs.
Benny Andersson: Piano. Deutsche Grammophon
