What does one get when they mix the hits of ABBA with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra? An absolutely fantastic evening, that’s what.
A little apprehensive, having never been to view a performance at the Symphony Hall, I wasn’t quite sure of what the night would entail, yet what a truly wonderful event it turned out to be, nostalgia was in the air and it reminded the audience of just how powerful the music of ABBA can be.
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra has had recent seasons involving tours of Germany and Switzerland and a prestigious seven-concert tour of Japan and Taiwan. The Orchestra is loved across the globe and exists to inspire the next generation to participate in music. The evening was conducted by Stephen Bell and the vocals were performed by Capital voices, directed by Annie Skates.
I entered the auditorium with an idea of the grandeur I was about to witness, I was amazed as expected, at the spectacle in front of me. Galleries and tiers leading up to a high ceiling – a wonderfully regal and grand sight to behold. The air of elegancy soon disappeared as the Orchestra entered the room, all dressed head to toe in 70s fancy dress. This immediately lifted the atmosphere and reminded the audience what a fun and cheesy evening this was going to be.
Stephen Bell, conductor
Before the vocal group arrived, the Orchestra provided us with a spectacular ABBA montage that was utterly breathtaking to listen to, the music soared above and beyond the auditorium. After this, Capital Voices entered the stage, also dressed in ABBA themed costumes, beginning their opening number with ‘Waterloo’, this upbeat hit immediately had the audience clapping away and swaying. The night then followed accordingly, before each track the group would give a brief background to the song, this altogether made the interaction between them and the audience more personal, and allowed the audience to loosen up.
Many performances stood out across the evening, ‘The Winner Takes It All,’ for example, was a wonderful rendition that Annie Skates performed with incredible emotion, touching the hearts of many in the room. ‘Dancing Queen’ came before the interval, leaving the first half of the evening with an upbeat, buzzing tone. Capital Voices opened with ‘Lay all your love on me’ in the second half, and were greatly aided by the incredible orchestra, as they seemed a little pitchy at first and the orchestra upheld an empowering rhythm that blotted out any vocal issues. The evening ended with ‘Thank you for the music’, which had the audience swaying and singing along in a heart-warming fashion.
Though this wasn’t the end, the group and the orchestra, spurred on by the excitable audience, performed an encore of ‘Waterloo’ and ‘Dancing Queen’ which had the entire auditorium (including myself) on their feet, dancing, swaying and clapping along to the beat of the music. Looking around at the older generation of people in the audience, this spectacular finale gave off a sense of nostalgic happiness, whilst looking at the younger generation, you could see how the love of ABBA had been past down by parents and grandparents, similar to myself, as my passion for ABBA was the result of my mothers constant blasting of their classics through the house in my childhood.
Overall, the night was a success. Capital Voices were great performers, though a little cheesy, it added to the buzzing atmosphere. The CBSO, as predicted, were mesmerizing, and were the real stars of the show. The Orchestra echoed through the auditorium with every song, but both the CBSO and Capital Voices, bounced off each other brilliantly and gave the audience a night to remember!
Thank you for the music, CBSO!
By Jessica Green
UoB Blogfest 
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