Finnish jazz ensemble pays homage to ABBA at WSO concert, gives audience the time of their lives

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This article was published 16/04/2023 (1297 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mamma Mia! Finland’s Rajaton blew the roof off the Centennial Concert Hall Saturday night as they paid homage to Swedish super-group ABBA, making sure the jam-packed capacity crowd of 2,149 had the time of their lives.

The final concert in the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s “Live at the WSO” series, “The Ultimate ABBA Tribute with Rajaton,” featured the a cappella vocal group comprised of sopranos Aili Ikonen, Essi Wuorela, alto Soila Sariola, baritone Ahti Paunu and bass Jussi Chydenius, with Julian Pellicano leading the orchestra with gusto.

ABBA is the stuff of lore, skyrocketing to fame during the mid-1970s with upbeat classics like “Mamma Mia!” and “Waterloo.” Their legacy continues to live on through a host of award-winning albums and music videos, an “ABBAtar” digital concert tour (this writer still wrapping her head around that one), as well inspiring a jukebox stage musical — namely, “Mamma Mia!” — as well as two Hollywood films, “Mamma Mia! The Movie,” and “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.”

The slickly paced, 120-minute show offered a smorgasbord of 18 greatest ABBA hits, with the acclaimed group founded in Helsinki in 1997 first taking the stage for iconic pop anthem “Dancing Queen” after a rousing orchestral overture.

Early highlights included an all-guns-blazing “Money, Money, Money,” highlighting the throaty vocals of Sariola who belted out the song’s lyrics for all she’s worth. Ikonen as featured soloist also treated listeners to “Knowing Me, Knowing You,” despite being (slightly) upstaged by her colleague’s awkwardly stilted (albeit mercifully short) waltzing that only felt cheesy.

Wuorela packed an emotional punch in “The Winner Takes It All,” easily hitting her top notes after performing onstage for nearly two hours, while Paunu’s expressive artistry infused “Chiquitita” with rays of sunshine in this ultimately life-affirming song. Chydenius with his bone-rattling bass boomed his way through “Does Your Mother Know,” albeit became submerged at times by the orchestra in his lowest depths.

“Take a Chance on Me,” earned the night’s first loud cheers, as did, expectedly, “Mamma Mia!” A high-octane cover of “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” that came after intermission, with many listeners spied warbling and clapping along, featured the women now dressed in sparkly dresses and bling-y bunny sneakers (I want), in keeping with ABBA’s legacy of eye-popping costumes; the men likewise changed into snappy white dinner jackets.

Audiences love lively banter and topical references, and more kibitzing would have further ramped up the show’s entertainment value. We heard a few jibes — even karaoke and hockey jokes — however much of the night felt overly scripted and choreographed to within an inch of its life. More spontaneity, which eventually kicked in towards the end, is always a good thing, and these pros with their infectious personalities and palpable rapport with each other are clearly able to deliver.

Having said this however, Rajaton’s renowned a cappella arrangements, propelled by vocally produced rhythmic effects a la beat box, enthralled, living up to the group’s Finnish title translated as “boundless.” Not since The Nylons took a run with a WSO show back in January 2010 (as reviewed by this writer) have we had so much fun with a vocal jazz group.

“Head Over Heels,” also showcasing Ikonen, provided an early taste of the group’s tightly knitted harmonies, while a later “Fernando,” including a hilarious, tongue-in-cheek set-up equally proved the singers’ individual chops as top-drawer artists.

Their first of three encores, a white-hot, a cappella “Voulez-Vous” fuelled by otherworldly percussive effects created by the two men dazzled, followed by a rafter-raising “Waterloo” sung with orchestra.

The WSO likely witnessed its first ever dancing ovation in its 75-year history, with the full house now on their feet, bouncing along to a finale of “Dancing Queen,” as smartphone flashlights glittered like starlight from the balconies.

In ABBA’s time, it would have been ubiquitous Bic lighters, however as the song goes, the mixed generation audience wanted to “Thank You for the Music,” which technically closed the program before the trio of encores; partying like it was 1974 when the Swedes first took the world by storm.

Holly.harris@shaw.ca

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