Judi Dench Proved She’s A Good 'Pianist’ With A Spontaneous ABBA Duet Featuring Sharleen Spiteri

Jan 09, 2023

Dame Judi Dench is an English actress that is famous for her performances on screen as well as on stage. Her work spans a variety of genres and is critically acclaimed. 

Arguably one of the biggest cultural icons of our time, Dench has received many accolades for her decades-spanning career. She's a 10-time BAFTA award winner, twice Golden Globe winner, and seven-time Academy Award nominee, and she has also bagged a Tony Award in her time. 

Dench starred in a lot of movies like “Shakespeare in Love,” “Mrs. Brown,” “Chocolat,” "Iris," “Mrs. Henderson Presents,” “Notes on a Scandal,” “Philomena” and “Belfast,” among many others. She was also a recipient of the BAFTA Fellowship Award, the Society of London Theatre Special Award and the British Film Institute Fellowship Award. The star's contribution to the world of acting has even earned her prestigious recognition from Queen Elizabeth II herself, who named her a Dame in 1988.

Unbeknownst to many, Dench is not just skilled in the world of acting. From time to time, she has also sung a few songs and even performed for movie soundtracks and musicals, which has shocked audiences due to her overflowing talent and charisma. She was credited for the 1968 London production of “Cabaret,” the 1975 musical “The Good Companion,” “A Little Night Music” in 1995, and the Original Motion Picture soundtrack of the romantic musical film “Nine.”

Dench, like any other performer, always loves to put on a show to entertain everyone. Hours before the clock struck midnight on Dec. 31, 2022, the Hollywood icon hopped on a piano and surprised everyone with an ABBA hit just before the new year started.

Born Judith Olivia Dench on Dec. 9, 1934, in the Heworth area of York, the star gained contact with the theater through her dad. Her father was a doctor and became the general practitioner for the York Theatre Royal. 

The legendary actress's career began on stage in 1957. Dench made her debut with the Old Vic Company when she played Ophelia in "Hamlet." She performed Shakespearean plays with the company for the next few years. Later, she was a member of the National Theatre Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company. 

Dench has had an ever-lasting love affair with the theater ever since — so it's no surprise she met her first husband in one. The two first laid eyes upon one another in 1962, when the actress was cast in "Romeo and Juliet." Dench married her fellow actor, Michael Williams. They were together for 30 years before he passed away from lung cancer in 2001. Their daughter, Finty Williams, was born in 1972.

But despite the passing of her husband, Dench remained strong and still pursued her acting career and flourished. She went on to be one of the most revered and celebrated actresses in the industry, both in the United States and in the United Kingdom. 

While everyone was celebrating the arrival of the new year 2023 on Dec. 31, 2022, Dench, who was staying at The Fife Arms Hotel in Braemar, Aberdeenshire in Scotland, hopped on a piano with Scottish songstress Sharleen Spiteri to give everyone a good show just before the new year turned in. 

In the now-viral video posted by Artfarm — the company that owns the hotel — CEO Ewan Venters, Spiteri and Dench were seen performing ABBA’s 1974 hit “Waterloo” – with Spiteri singing and Dench, almost like a virtuoso, playing the piano excellently. 

“(Judi and Sharleen) had met previously, but after dinner, they met in the lobby and took to the piano,” Venters revealed to PA Media. “Guests were somewhat shocked but loved it!"

“What a pianist!” Spiteri said to the camera as Dench gleefully played the piano. The video has amassed more than 600,000 views on Twitter upon its release on Jan. 1, 2023. 

While everyone seemed to be very impressed with Dench and Spiteri’s duet, it turned out that Dench was just putting on a show. Like a good actress, Dench convincingly played the piano — which was actually a self-playing one. Her poise and confidence, however, were just like that of a professional and experienced pianist. 

If one closely watches the video, it can actually be seen that the keys move on their own, and Dench happened to just place her hands on top of them — proving that she won an Oscar for a reason. 

Fans of the two artists have taken to the comment sections and praised the two for their great new year’s eve show. 

“This is brilliant. But, that's a piano that plays itself. Watch Dame Judi's hands. The keys go down when her hands (are) no where (near) them. The joke is on us!! Well done ladies!!” one person happily pointed out. 

“Piano has a life of its own. Super funny. She can play that with the power of her brain,” another fan said. 

Are you a fan of Dame Judi Dench? What can you say about her performance with Sharleen Spiteri? Do you think her “piano skills” are good? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends and other loved ones!