Beethoven's Last Night

Trans-Siberian Orchestra | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 11, 2000)
• Original Release Date: April 11, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Lava
• ASIN: B00004S7LI
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (206 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #702 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #4 in Music > Miscellaneous > Holiday > General AAS
  • #18 in Music > Rock > Progressive > Progressive Rock
  • #25 in Music > Classical

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA
Title: BEETHOVEN'S LAST NIGHT
Street Release Date: 04/11/2000
Domestic
Genre: XMAS INSTRUMENTAL

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

198 of 202 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bombastic, but fantastic., April 12, 2000

By 

J. T. Nite "mightybjorn" (Mesa, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beethoven's Last Night (Audio CD)

To my great relief, TSO returns to form (and better) with Beethoven's Last Night. Their 1998 release, The Christmas Attic, was enjoyable but a let-down: it seemed like a rehash of their first album instead of a new idea.

But Beethoven's Last Night is something else altogether. Across 22 tracks (73 minutes of music), TSO unfolds the harrowing story of Beethoven's last night on earth, including remembrances of his love and life, deals with the devil, and the saving grace of Fate. Like most of O'Neil's writing for TSO and Savatage, it's a tear-jerker and bound to leave you with a smile on your face.

The songwriting is volcanic, bombastic but widely varied; the pounding heavy metal that introduces Requiem (The Fifth) is interrupted by a ghostly children's choir, creating a goosebump-inducing shock. I got chills up my spine at least five times during the course of the album. The musical asides - little bits of the Moonlight Sonata and countless others by Beethoven and Mozart, polyharmonic choral sections, a children's choir (only very briefly, don't worry) -- make for a rich, multilayered repeat listen.

The vocal performances are stunning in their perfection. Beethoven sings like an operatic baritone, Theresa veers between rock siren and delicate soprano, Mephistopheles sneers and rasps, Twist (Fate's deformed son) mocks and leers, and in the end Fate sings us to sleep with a simple, beautiful lullaby.

Paul O'Neil's songwriting can be uneven -- you wince a bit when he rhymes "dismembered/remembered" and "minute/in it," and intros a song with an 80's-power-ballad drum fill -- but he hits much more often than he misses, and the music and vocals are good enough to gloss over the rough patches.

Who is the market for this album? A heavy metal fan with a weakness for musical theater. A classical music fan who likes Andrew Lloyd Weber and can stand an electric guitar or two. Someone who isn't put off by serious emotion and high drama. And someone with a good attention span -- the album demands to be listened to all the way through reading along in the (20+ page)liner notes, at least once. Think of it as the soundtrack to the best Broadway musical/rock opera that never was. If you like the genre, you'll love this.

63 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beethoven's Last Night, November 8, 2000

By 

"reaven" (MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beethoven's Last Night (Audio CD)

If you don't end up crying by the end of this album, you have no heart! This CD is simply amazing! I love rock operas and concept albums, whether they be done by Savatage (who are pretty much the same guys that are in Trans-Siberian Orchestra but with one (and sometimes two) singers) Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Queensryche, Iced Earth, or the many other bands who have caught on to the idea. This has got to be The Rock Opera of all rock operas! I don't really feel like taking the time to tell you all what it's about, so I'll just say that it's about Beethoven's Last Night! The band intigrates a lot of Beethoven's music into the album wonderfully, though most of the music is original. Paul O'Neill is an extremely gifted lyricist and his lyrics shine on this album. This album is extremely moving and intelligent (which most music today lacks). There are very slow, emotional songs and some more upbeat ones, but this is a pretty steady album and really needs to be listened to from start to finish without interuptions. Highlights are: Mephistopheles, What Is Eternal, The Moment, The Dreams of Candlelight, Requiem (the Fifth), I'll Keep Your Secrets (my personal favorite on the album), Who Is This Child, and A Final Dream. This album is loaded with emotion, intelligence, and extreme talent. If you're into rock operas, progressive rock, or just thought-provoking music in general, I highly recommend this!

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beethoven Would Be Proud, April 13, 2000

By 

B. E. Nickerson "BTVN1827" (Amesbury, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beethoven's Last Night (Audio CD)

This has to be the best of my 350 CDs. This has almost a Broadway-esque sound to it. Yet the rock is not lost in the ballads and instrumentals. "What Is Eternal" "Vienna" and the other 20 tracks are among the best on the album. DO NOT PASS THIS ALBUM UP, YOU WILL NOT BE DISSAPPOINTED. Jody Ashworth & Patti Russo (former Meat-Loaf vocalist) deserve 110% for their superior divine performances as Beethoven & Theresa on this album. Also, Jon Oliva portrays the devil (how fitting) and Guy Lemonnier plays a Young Beethoven. This album cobines the classical, unloosable genius of Beethoven & Mozart and the rough rock edge of the TSO. I take my hat off and lay in mud for Paul O'Neill & Robert Kinkell, who wrote all of the songs for this album. The music is unbelievable, the lyrics are powerful and emotional and the story is realistic enough to possibly be true. The TSO is definately the most gifted band ever to walk the face of the earth. sory Metallica, Beatles, and Led Zeppelin, but you've met your match. This album will remain a classic, I guarantee it.