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a-ha: Farewell Tour
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November 9, 19:30
Olimpiisky Sports Complex 
 The Norwegian sensation, a-ha, is returning to Moscow for a second farewell concert on their last worldwide concert tour. The Ending on a High Note Tour that began earlier this year spans four continents and will end in Oslo in early December. a-ha has sold over 35 million albums and 25 million singles worldwide since the band's creation 28 years ago. The band was established by Morten Harket (vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards), and Pal Waaktaar (guitars) in 1982. The group initially rose to fame during the mid 1980s and is now the best-selling Norwegian music act in history.
“It was about time that we reached out a little more,” says A-Ha singer Morten Harket of the group’s new album "Foot Of The Mountain". Released on July 13, 2009 on Universal Music Record Label (URML), the album marks a return to the classic pop sound that made A-Ha one of the biggest acts in the world. As keyboard player Magne Furuholmen explains, “It’s an album that incorporates the key elements that first defined the band: soaring vocals, synth hooks, yearning lyrics and melodic melancholia.”
After the formation of a-ha the band left for the now "legendary London flat" (so called because of its state of disrepair) to make it. By late 1983 they had achieved part of that goal by signing to WEA. "Take on Me" took three times to become a hit in the U.K., eventually hitting number two in November 1985. Going one better in the U.S. mainly due to the wide exposure of its stunning video on MTV, which fused animation with real-life action, their only further hit there was "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." which became a U.K. number one in early 1986 helping take the album "Hunting High and Low" to the Top Ten. Mostly an album of synth pop, the press were quick to dismiss them as a teeny bop sensation; however, there was more to A-Ha than met the ear in Waaktaar's writing, and a more mature effort, Scoundrel Days, was released in October, 1986. More focused, it had a stronger band feel thanks to its live drumming, displayed to great lengths on "The Swing of Things and lead single "I've Been Losing You" - a shock to critics at the time.
Further striking imagery accompanied "Cry Wolf." After a world tour, A-Ha supplied the soundtrack to the James Bond flick "The Living Daylights". A remix appeared on their third album "Stay on These Roads" in 1988. Considered lackluster "Stay on These Roads" did feature some interesting lyrics in "Blood That Moves the Body," regarding the over-intense affection the Japanese had for popular icons in their kamikaze-like suicides. On a lighter note, one of the famous quotes of this period came from Waaktaar: commenting on Def Leppard's success with Hysteria, he scoffed that A-Ha were more rock & roll!
In 1990, A-Ha were commended by the Everly Brothers for their rendition of "Crying in the Rain" from their fourth album "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" which was largely ignored in the U.K. due to a shift in interests towards dance and the Manchester scene. 1993 heralded some much needed new blood in the U2 terrain of "Dark Is the Night" from the "Memorial Beach" album. Following the unfortunate lack of success following "Memorial Beach", Furuholmen retreated into the art world while Waaktaar released the album "Mary Is Coming" with his new band Savoy.
Seven years after the release of "Memorial Beach", A-Ha issued "Minor Earth Major Sky" in summer 2000. 2002's Lifelines sold well in Europe and was followed by a lengthy tour, documented on the live album "How Can I Sleep with Your Voice in My Head" which was released in 2003.
A year later the band celebrated their 20th anniversary by releasing "Singles 1984-2004", a collection that would put them back on the U.K. Top 20 Albums chart. In July of 2005 the band performed in Berlin as part of the massive worldwide event 'Live8'. In November they released the new album "Analogue". It was supported by a world-wide tour that included gigs in Russia and a festival in Chile. The group's ninth studio album "Foot of the Mountain, was released in 2009".
Written and recorded in various major cities – from Oslo to New York – "Foot Of The Mountain" is, in Morten’s words, “predominantly a synth-based album”. The ten new songs carry echoes of the band’s early signature hits: ‘Take On Me’, ‘The Sun Always Shines On TV’ and ‘I’ve Been Losing You’. As Magne explains, “This is a potent and vibrant album - it has a vitality. Morten has an incredible voice – one of the very few instantly recognizable voices in pop music. And that voice is most effective in a synth-based musical landscape. For me, this album was about helping Morten come into his own.”
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