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Abba star sings about first Matterhorn ascent

Malcolm Curtis
Malcolm Curtis - [email protected]
Abba star sings about first Matterhorn ascent
Frida, from ABBA, and Dan Daniell. Photo: Zermatt Tourismus

Former Abba star Frida is singing again — and these days about her Swiss home high in the mountains.

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With local singer Dan Daniell, the Swedish pop star has recorded a song dedicated to Zermatt, the mountain resort town in the canton of Valais, and the first ascent of the Matterhorn, 150 years ago.

The song “1865” is set to be released on Friday, as part of the commemorations this year for the the climb of the fabled 4,478-metre peak by British alpinist Edward Whymper and his team.

Anni-Frid “Frida” Lyngstad, a resident of Zermatt, recorded the official song for the anniversary with Daniell, the town’s tourist office said in a news release this week.

The pair were backed by a Zermatt group called Wintershome, who provide a chorus to the song composed by Daniell, the stage name for Urs Biner, the release said.

Biner, owner of the Chez Heini restaurant, is described as a top chef, author and singer, who has been recording under the name Dan Daniell for more than two decades.

“The song brings the dramatic race to the summit of the Matterhorn to life with the power of the chorale and its impressive lyricism,” the tourist office said.

Proceeds from the sale of the single will go a foundation for children set up by Frida and Daniell that supports small projects in Switzerland, elsewhere in Europe and around the world.

The song will be available through iTunes.com and amazon.co.uk.

Since 2008 Frida has shared a home in Zermatt with her partner Henry Smith, a British aristocrat, having previously been married to Heinrich Ruzzo Prince Reuss of Plauen, a German Prince who died of lymphoma in 1999.

She is also the ex-wife of Abba's Benny Andersson.

For more information about the Matterhorn jubilee celebrations, click here.

Also, a fan has downloaded to YouTube an unofficial version of the "1865" song:

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