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LAUNCH
A STUNNING SUCCESS!
On the remarkable
coincidence of Benny’s 62nd birthday ~ 16 December ~ around
150 invited guests and their families packed into The
Queensland Orchestra’s West End studios in Brisbane to
celebrate the launch of ABBA : LET THE MUSIC SPEAK on a
balmy, storm-free, summer’s evening overlooking the Brisbane
River.
Bubbles and nibbles flowed and mingled as easily as did our
VIP guests ~ our very gracious compere, 4MBS Classic FM’s
Howard Ainsworth, and our VIP guest speaker, Judith Durham
from Australia’s own music phenomenon The Seekers, were a
smash hit with the crowd.
But no-one and nothing could overshadow the enormous
pleasure and sense of achievement of author Chris Patrick
and his landmark literary debut, a moment shared by proud
parents Robin and Nick Patrick and sister Fiona, accompanied
by best wishes from brother Cam in the USA who couldn’t be
with us.
Judith Durham’s manager, Graham Simpson, provided some
wonderful background on their connections with Chris, and on
the origins of the book. Former high school mate and
designer/production editor Matt Tesch painted some verbal
pictures of the ‘birth’ and ‘delivery’ process. And Judith
herself spoke delightfully of her musical time with The
Seekers, their parallels with and influences to/from ABBA,
and obviously derived immense pleasure in officially
launching ABBA : LET THE MUSIC SPEAK to the acclaim of
everyone present.
MORE MEDIA
AND PROMOTION
NEWSPAPER FEATURES AND REVIEWS
Quest Newspapers’ “City South News” ran a full-page photo
interview with Chris in its Thursday 11 December issue, the
week before the launch event, which has been picked up and
posted online in the ABBA fan community around the world.
A major Brisbane newspaper is also currently reviewing the
book, and we’ll bring you details once it’s published, early
in the New Year.
LOOK OUT FOR MORE ABC
RADIO DELIGHTS IN JANUARY!
Following the resounding success of Chris’ debut session
with top-rating 612 ABC Radio breakfast presenter Spencer
Howson on Thursday 4 December, we can look forward to
further morning treats once Spencer returns from summer
holidays on Monday 19 January … can’t say too much more at
this time, but now, more than usual, it would pay to be
tuned in to 612 AM from the 19th (or you can stream online
from
http://www.abc.net.au/brisbane/radio/.
NEWS
AND REVIEWS
SWEDISH SURPRISES
In an even more remarable coincidence, no less a person
than Benny himself received a copy of Chris’ book on the day
after his brithday in Stockholm, and we understand that
Björn should also be receiving a copy early in the New Year
… exciting times, as we await the thoughts of two of the
ABBA ‘masters’ themselves in coming weeks!
READERS’ COMMENTS
Given the Christmas Season and summer/winter holidays
(depending on where in the world you are!), it’s perhaps not
surprising that things have been very quiet on the review
front ~ after all, it’s been less than three weeks since the
books arrived from the printers, and Chris and his team have
‘moved Heaven and earth’ to ensure that all preliminary
orders have been dispatched as promptly as possible.
Everyone seems to be
‘hunkered down’ either busy with Seasonal festivities or
else taking advantage of their holidays to immerse
themselves in the book!
We’re looking forward to your thoughts in due course ~ once
you ‘come up for air’ (!) ~ but comments received so far
suggest readers are surprised and delighted, and using words
like “amazing” and “detailed” and “completely unique” and
“totally new” to describe the book.
More reviews on the
(More
Reviews) page,
once we start to hear from you all!
BOOK
LAUNCH SPECIAL OFFER
Sorry, everyone, but the limited offer for the first 100
numbered and signed copies has been well and truly
finalised!
However, although the limited ‘first edition 100’ offer
can never be repeated, it is still possible for you to
request a signed and suitably-dedicated copy autographed by
Chris if you order from the
(Buy
Now) page of this
website ~ you can note your requests in the appropriate
message field or use the ‘Contact’ link to send a message to
Chris about your order.
LIVE
–
“ABBA MANIA” ON THE GOLD COAST
Party with London’s West End sensation at Conrad Jupiters at
Broadbeach on Queensland’s beautiful Gold Coast in live
performances of the smash-hit show!
Chris and his cello are part of
a superb orchestral line-up bringing the ABBA hits to life,
along with all the lights, colours and fabulous costumes of
the stage performers, in unforgettable matinee and evening
sessions, 28 October 2008 to 14 February 2009.
Visit:
http://abbamania.com/
and
http://abbamanialive.com.au/
More information:
www.conradjupiters.com.au/
MEDIA –
MUSIC
LOVER’S CHOICE ON BRISBANE’S 4MBS-FM
What a fabulous two hours of live radio that was on
Saturday 29 November! Chris, together with host Howard
Ainsworth, presented an engaging and enlightening selection
of music by Benny and Björn, discussing the vocal
contribution of Agnetha and Frida, and ranging across the
entire spectrum from “Arrival” through BAO, CHESS and
KRISTINA pieces, to conclude with the seminal “Thank You For
The Music”!
“Sensational”, “informing”,
“revealing” and “fantastic” were just some of the comments
made following the program, which was re-broadcast on
4MBS Classic FM
the following Monday night (01 December) between 10pm and
midnight (AEST-Qld time). Included in the program were
several references to the fabulous ABBA MANIA show, in which
Chris is playing cello, currently running at Conrad Jupiters
Casino on the Gold Coast.
More detailed and timely news
announcements will be made on Chris’ blog page, so you
should also keep an eye on:
http://abbaletthemusicspeak.wordpress.com/ |
