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Beethoven's Last Night
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Beethoven's Last Night
Genres: Rock, Classical, Metal
 
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 ...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Title: Beethoven's Last Night
Members Wishing: 7
Total Copies: 0
Release Date: 8/19/2008
Album Type: Import
Genres: Rock, Classical, Metal
Styles: Progressive, Progressive Rock
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 693723729329

Synopsis

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

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Member CD Reviews

Michelle D. from HAMPDEN, ME
Reviewed on 4/8/2021...
This album is very good. Not perfect, but still, quite good. It's a concept album and you can find out what it is on the wiki page. This has it's high points, and they're really good, and the low points, which aren't all that bad. The reason why I'm giving it 4 1/2 stars is because it doesn't hold the concept at points. The music's strong nonetheless.