Concerts become tradition

The Trans Siberian Orchestra blends musical genres into a holiday show everyone can enjoy.
By JOHN PATRICK GATTA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Still going strong as they head into their fourth year, performances by the Trans Siberian Orchestra can safely be viewed as an annual holiday tradition.
It may not be associated with the high culture of the Nutcracker, but TSO has become a crowd-pleaser for contemporary audiences that can appreciate its mix of styles from centuries ago to the present.
"You're seeing a rock show, but it also has that classical aspect," said Robert Kinkel, one of the creators of TSO. "It has the beauty of classical music. It has the drama of the theater and the production. So it's accessible to everyone. It's enjoyable as a rock concert. It's enjoyable as a classical concert. It's enjoyable as a theater piece.
"People from all these different areas are completely satisfied and yet drawn into a whole other area of music that they wouldn't normally listen to."
When asked if creating a holiday tradition was the original intent of TSO, he said, "We didn't really start out thinking that."
Huge success
He seemed surprised by the word-of-mouth success that has motivated TSO to visit more cities and perform additional dates at past tour stops every time it announces its concert schedule.
"Each year it's evolved. We had no idea what the touring would do until we'd done it. We only played seven shows the first year. People loved it so much. The next year, everybody wanted us to come back."
Kinkel and TSO's other two creators acknowledge theirgratitude to Northeast Ohio for its success. Propelled by classic-rock station WNCX (98.5) and the numerous airings of the instrumental track "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" from TSO's 1996 debut "Christmas Eve and Other Stories," Kinkel and company were persuaded to take Trans Siberian Orchestra from the recording studio to the concert stage.
"WNCX really embraced us, played us constantly. Cleveland was the very first show we put on sale when we decided to tour. We had no idea what would happen. We hoped a lot of people would want to come. We were just floored! The show at the Palace Theatre sold out in two hours. We went 'Whoa! I guess someone wants to come see us.' So, we put another one on sale. That one went in under an hour."
Spirit and drama
"Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" is a perfect example of how TSO combines musical genres to create a warm sound that evokes the holiday spirit with dramatic flair. The track uses the themes from "Carol of the Bells" and "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" along with original ideas to meld past traditions with the modern era. It was originally used by Kinkel, producer/writer Paul O'Neil and songwriter/singer/multi-instrumentalist Jon Oliva on 1995's "Dead Winter Dead," an album by the hard rock act Savatage. The album dealt with the ongoing conflict in Bosnia.
At that time Kinkel did session work and played keyboards on Savatage recordings. O'Neil produced and helped write that band's material, and Oliva was an original member.
"We had been writing stories, and Savatage records were also rock operas. We talked about this. It was a way of exploring another side of our musicality. With a regular rock band, you only have one or two singers. You can't really stretch too far with the musical boundaries. With TSO we can use anything we want for any part. We pick the best singers to tell the story and we pick the best style of music to best represent the emotional curve of the story."
Broadway musical
After the release of "Dead Winter Dead," the threesome decided to write a Broadway musical. The result was "Romanov: When Kings Must Whisper." Although it was not produced at that time, the trio was so pleased that it pursued this direction under the Trans Siberian Orchestra moniker.
"We knew we wanted to have 'orchestra' play symphonic rock. 'Trans-Siberian' came from Paul, who had been in Siberia several years back. He was struck by the contrasts. It's beautiful, but it's also extremely harsh. Music helps us through the harshness of life.
"Also, the Trans Siberian Railroad runs through there, Europe to Asia, the longest railroad in the world, and that connects the most number of cultures. Music is something that's an international language that transcends culture as well."
Story and music
Both "Christmas Eve and Other Stories" and, later, "The Christmas Attic," have a story line running through them. As for the music, it runs from the pristine delicacy of an orchestra to intimate acoustic numbers and thundering guitar crescendos.
On its current tour, TSO emphasizes its ability to fit within the confines of any venue by performing in arenas, theaters and opera houses. Similar to last year's excursion, there will be an east and west coast TSO touring company. Each will feature musicians and singers from the two albums.
Kinkel is the east coast music director and will perform as part of the Powers Auditorium show. There will be a six-piece rock band along with an eight-piece string section, seven vocalists and one narrator.
Other work
Although late November and December are for touring, TSO remains active throughout the year. The two holiday releases are part of a trilogy. The final installment was pushed back again and is now expected to be released in fall 2003.
The core creative team behind Trans Siberian Orchestra is also working on a full-scale production of its nonholiday rock opera, "Beethoven's Last Night," which is slated for 2004. There are also plans for other TSO releases and possibly reviving "Romanov" for Broadway.