Artist: Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Label: Atlantic
Release Date: 4/11/00
Rating: 4 Skulls
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Title: Beethoven's Last Night Artist: Trans-Siberian Orchestra Label: Atlantic Release Date: 4/11/00
Rating: 4 Skulls |
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garthg's Review:
Trans-Siberian Orchestra's third album, their first non-seasonal album, can only truly be described with two words: rock opera. And the emphasis is definitely on opera. For those unfamiliar with the concept, Trans-Siberian Orchestra is the brainchild of Paul O'Neill, best known for producing most of Savatage's albums. Melding his ear for dramatic metal with classical arrangements and a full-on orchestra, O'Neill has enlisted some fine vocalists from a variety of genres to create TSO. Their first two albums are beautiful Christmas albums. Beethoven's Last Night is TSO's first foray away from the Christmas theme and creates a more fully realized and more haunting album than their first two albums.Beethoven's Last Night tells the story of Ludwig von Beethoven's last night on earth. Just as he finishes his 10th Symphony, an imagined composition said to be the best ever written, Beethoven is visited by Mephistopheles, who has come to take his soul. Pleading for more time, Beethoven is offered a series of deals by Mephistopheles, to let Beethoven keep his soul in exchange for Mephistopheles claiming Beethoven's music and forever wiping it from the collective memory of the world.
Not exactly your "sex, drugs and rock-n-roll" type of album. O'Neill obviously borrows a lot from Faust for his storyline, yet manages to create an intriguing, imaginative and moving tale. The one complaint I have is that too many story details exist only in the CD booklet and not in the actual songs. We would not know the fate of the 10th Symphony if not for the booklet.
How's the music? Operatic, haunting, soaring, beautiful, dynamic... just a few of the words that come to mind. The musical passages make great use of Beethoven's work, with new arrangements by O'Neill and Robert Kinkel, combined with new compositions by O'Neill, Kinkel and Savatage's Jon Oliva. The two methods of writing blend together beautifully, and all is played by a string orchestra, overlayed with piano, electric guitars and rock drumming. An absolutely beautiful combination. One can't help but imagine that Beethoven knew his pieces would sound great coming out of a distorted guitar almost 175 years after his death (especially his Fifth.) Al Pitrelli lends some tremendous lead guitar work that manages to be both delicate and powerful, showing his ability to walk between genres. I hope he brings this level of work to the next Megadeth album. Each piece of music fits the storyline at its moment and moves the story as much as the lyrics. The culmination is a gorgeous piece entitled "A Last Illusion," which melds the works of Beethoven, Mozart (oh yeah, even Wolfie makes an appearance as a character) and Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov with O'Neill and Kinkel's work. The piece serves to show Beethoven the impact his work will have, by allowing him a meeting with composers of the past and future for, essentially, an ethereal jam session. A soaring meeting of metal and classical music.
The vocals are written as an opera, each part a separate character in the storyline. And each vocalist carries off his or her part as if inspired by true operatics. Standout performances are Jon Oliva's menacing snarl as Mephistopheles, Jody Ashworth as Beethoven (anyone ever heard of this guy?), and Sylvia Tosun as Fate. Even though Fate only has one part, the last track, the vocals are absolutely beautiful. Oliva does a great, over-the-top Mephistopheles; you can practically see the red horned guy in front of you as he sings.
This is not an album for a casual afternoon listen. It requires attention. If you just stick it on and only check in with it every few minutes, it may not stick with you, and the vocals may come off as too cheesy. And it's not for those who need to answer the question, "Is it metal?" on EVERY album. If, though, you recognize the strong link from classical music to metal, give it a try. My recommendation: sit down in a comfortable chair, tune out the world, blast the music and read the booklet along with the songs. You'll be sucked in and find a truly unique and rewarding musical experience.
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