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Beethoven's Last Night
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Retail Price (not our price): $18.98
Release Date: 2000-04-11
Manufacturer: Lava
Format: Audio CD
Discs: 1

Track List
Now here, for your listening pleasure, the tracks...

Disc 1

Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Amazon.com
Trans-Siberian Orchestra's first two recordings, a pair of late-'90s Christmas albums, hinted that some day TSO might evolve into a latter-day ELO or even an ELP. Instead, this overwrought concept album shares more common ground with ALW (Andrew Lloyd Webber) or Meat Loaf. TSO, in fact, aims to retrace a path once traveled by producer Jim Steinman, the mastermind behind the theatrical, over-the-top rock opuses that briefly transformed Mr. Loaf and Bonnie Tyler ("Total Eclipse of the Heart") into mass-audience favorites. TSO ringmaster Paul O'Neill (once a guitarist in Broadway productions of Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair) here ditches the holiday themes and instead scores a simple-minded fairy tale (whose text spans a 32-page CD booklet) that involves Beethoven's soul, the devil, and an imaginary Symphony No. 10. Too often, the music is the servant of the project's thin plot, and the rock-classical instrumental bravura that initially attracted public attention to TSO (at times, the group sounds like a symphonic Boston) is obscured by overheated vocal rantings. Meanwhile, the guitar-driven rendering of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony ("Requiem") is mundane. Yet, one vocal track, "After the Fall" with singer Patti Russo, jumps off the record as a Tyler-esque knockout, raging with emotion and melodic luster. It doesn't save the album, but it helps. --Terry Wood

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

1) Exceptional!   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Truely an excellent album, this rock opera explores a great but suffering composer's reflection on the value of his life's work, on passion and despair, altruism or self interest, honesty and deceit, love and loss. Be sure to read the lyrics and storyline contained in the case insert. Somewhat in the style of the classics Christmas Carol and Its a Beautiful Life, the protagonist has the opportunity to reflect on how his life affects others, and how things might have been different - while haunted and helped by spirits. Distinctly Trans-Siberian Orchestra, sometimes rough and jarring, sometimes sweetly melodic. I'd love to see this album performed as a stage play or film musical.

2) Not my favorite, but not bad   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
I own two other Trans Siberian Orchestra CDs and I saw them in concert on December 16, 2007, so I wanted to own more of their music. I like this CD, but I loved their earlier CDs more. I am still glad that I got it.

3) Oustanding   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Just perfect for the Prog Rock enthusiast and all-round musician alike. The indentification of "classical" music quotes throughout the CD is a delight. An intelligent and creative use of cross genre musical output. I just wish Beethoven and Mozart were around to hear it.

4) Great   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
If the Trans Siberian Orchestra's classical/rock and roll mix appeal to you, you will love this cd.

5) Beethoven is smiling...   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
This was the last addition needed to complete my TSO collection, and it was their first album of non-Christmas music.As this band now stands poised to finally release a second non-Christmas album (the long-anticipated "Nightcastle"), it would be a good time to get this one if you haven't yet. Why? Because it's excellent, for one thing, but for another, when the new one comes out, there is talk that the 2 albums could form the basis for year-round touring both in the USA and beyond. For a band that has wowed the countryside a couple of months a year (for several years) with their sensational sight-and-sound holiday extravaganzas, year-round touring is nothing but good news to any TSO fan.Beethoven's Last Night is no less magical than anything else they have done. It's story centers around the last night of Ludwig's life as he is tormented by the devil over whether to let him burn his last and greatest symphony, or to spare the life of a small street urchin within the devil's grip. The music is flavored with classical music from Beethoven, but moves far beyond it into the realms of progressive rock, as their music is known to do.As with anything by this band, this album achieves a standard of excellence and creative imagination on so many levels that is rarely seen in today's music. Buy their studio albums with confidence, but go see their shows whenever and wherever possible, because they have to be seen to be believed.