Whoever wants to watch a spectacle of colors, lights, and sound with a magical Christmas spirit cannot miss the performances of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (or TSO) that will be touring several American states starting in November, presenting a spectacular show.
The band’s musical style incorporates progressive rock, symphonic metal, and heavy metal, with a strong influence from classical music.
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra was founded in 1996 by composer Paul O’Neill in New York, along with his friends Jon Oliva, Robert Kinkel, and Al Pitrelli. The group’s name was inspired by the Trans-Siberian Railway in Russia, because according to Kinkel, it connects different isolated cultures just like music does.
O’Neill managed and produced rock bands such as Aerosmith, Humble Pie, and Scorpions, then wrote and produced Savatage, where he began working with Kinkel and Oliva. The concept of the band playing Christmas songs in a rock opera style did not receive much support from the recording industry, but quickly proved to be a success among adults and also with the youth.
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra debuted in 1996 with the album Christmas Eve and Other Stories, which became a best-selling album. The album cover was painted by artist Greg Hildebrandt. In 1998, it was time for The Christmas Attic, which maintained the concept of the first album with a Christmas theme.
The orchestra’s first show took place in 1999 in Philadelphia.
In 2000, the first album whose theme was not Christmas was recorded. Beethoven’s Last Night was a concept album about Ludwig van Beethoven’s last night on earth, during which he meets Fate, his son Twist, and also encounters Mephistopheles.
After a few years of touring, they returned to the studio and recorded the album The Lost Christmas Eve, which accompanied the triple album The Christmas Trilogy, containing the 3 previously recorded albums.
In 2005, TSO ranked 21st on the list of the most successful tours, grossing over $21 million.
The live shows use many light effects, lasers, and pyrotechnics, which require 15 hours for setup to be synchronized.
The shows are divided into two parts: the first consists of stories and songs from Christmas Eve and Other Stories, while the second mixes songs from The Christmas Attic, Beethoven’s Last Night, The Lost Christmas Eve, and a few cover songs, concluding with Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24.
In the 2008 tour, two songs from Savatage were included: “Prelude to Madness” and “Believe.”
Night Castle is another album that does not have Christmas as its theme, recorded on October 27, 2009. It includes versions of “O Fortuna” (Carmina Burana), which had previously been played on tours between 2004 and 2008. This album also contains rewritten versions of songs from Savatage, such as “Nutrocker,” a famous song made by Emerson, Lake and Palmer, featuring Greg Lake on bass. It is a double album and had a pre-sale that included a download of 5 songs in MP3 format.
Dreams of Fireflies is the first and, so far, only EP by the band. It was released on October 20, 2012, by Lava Republic Universal Records and debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.