“This week,” reports Björn Ulvaeus, “I met a Ukrainian refugee family in my home town of Västervik” – this is how the Abba musician begins his speech in the Avicii Arena in Stockholm. A concert for the Ukraine aid took place there on Saturday (April 2nd). Swedish musicians raised money there, including Per Gessle, who performed the Roxette hit “Listen to your Heart”, and the singer Malena Ernman – the mother of Greta Thunberg.
“Hearing the story of the refugees was sad and hard,” Ulvaeus continues. Then: “This tragedy is caused by one man. A so-called strong man. Someone who rides a horse shirtless.” And finally, to thunderous applause: “One man is causing all this misery – a bastard!” (“skitstövel”). Putin is afraid, that’s why he’s going to war against the democracies – Ulvaeus criticizes the Russian autocrat without naming him.
Ulvaeus, born in 1945, talks about the threats that a number of nations had to endure from the Nazis and later from the Communists – and says: “We absolutely have to support Ukraine with all means”.
ROLLING STONE previously reported:
Benny Andersson performed the ABBA song “Ode To Freedom” together with the Ukrainian string ensemble Kyiv Soloists. It’s the first time the final song from the Voyage album has been played live – it was chosen to show solidarity with Ukraine and hope for an early end to the senseless war.
Support for Ukraine also comes from ABBA
The Kyiv Soloists performed with ABBA member Benny Andersson on piano, while Eric Ericson’s chamber choir provided vocals on “Ode To Freedom”. On April 2nd from 6.30pm the concert, which had already been recorded on March 27th in the Stockholm Concert Hall, was broadcast on Swedish SVT1.
Kyiv Soloists consists of renowned Ukrainian musicians who have teamed up to represent Ukrainian culture internationally. The artists had just been touring Europe when their home country was attacked by Russia. A support tour was then organized together with several concert halls. The ensemble has now been awarded the title of “Global Ambassadors of Ukrainian Culture” by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At the concert, the musicians played, among other things, classical Ukrainian music, folk music and an interpretation of the Swedish song “Varmeland du sköna”. The proceeds from ticket sales will benefit Ukraine with the help of Swedish Radio Aid.
The King and Queen of Sweden were also in the audience
Also King Carl XVI. Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden were present at the concert. The king summed up the appalling situation in Ukraine at a public meeting at the beginning of March: “Europe is in an extremely difficult situation. It hasn’t been this difficult in a long time. Russia invaded Ukraine. This violates international law and overrides fundamental freedoms and rights. The humanitarian catastrophe is a fact. People are fleeing their homes and their land. Families are separated. Innocent people die.”