LEGENDARY BAND CAPTURED LIVE FOR THE FIRST TIME ON TELEVISION
Since they first hit the stage 12 years ago, Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) has grown into one of the largest touring acts in the world by doing something completely different from every other group. People can't seem to explain what they do; they just tell you "you just have to see it to understand it." TSO creator Paul O'Neill, who calls it "Rock Theater," presents the past, present and future of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra through live video and interview segments taken over the last couple of years during their annual Winter Tour and from their debut of Beethoven's Last Night, filmed in Dallas, Texas, on May 2, 2010.
TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA: THE BIRTH OF ROCK THEATER is part of special programming premiering on PBS stations across the country. Corpus Christi TSO fans can view the premiere in Corpus Christi on KEDT/PBS Monday, March 21st 7pm and 8pm. Watch the broadcast and learn how you can support Public Television and purchase tickets to Trans-Siberian Orchestra performing Beethoven's Last Night Live in Concert at American Bank Center's Selena Auditorium.
The material for "Rock Theater" began when Paul O'Neill and TSO set their sites on one of the most beloved and important composers the world has ever known - Ludwig van Beethoven. O'Neill explains, "I was always fascinated by Beethoven. Beethoven did not come from a rich family, made his way to Vienna which at that time was the capitol of the musical world, and by the time he was 21 was recognized as one of the greatest piano players in the world by the likes of Mozart. By the time he was 25, he realized he was going completely deaf and if he had just crawled into a corner and given up on life, nobody would have judged him harshly. But instead he went on to write some of the greatest music that has ever been created, music that would bring joy, happiness, peace to countless billions people but that he himself would never hear."
O'Neill's Beethoven's Last Night combines 50% what actually happened with perhaps 50% what might have happened to create a fascinating tale of Beethoven's final evening. To pay tribute to the great composer TSO fused together many of his most enduring melodies with new hard rocking instrumentals. They also wrote several originals to create a theatrical experience that, combined with arena rock, takes the art form to unprecedented levels. The special will focus on O'Neill's vision for TSO and how he went about creating this new art form. It will also feature live performances from "Beethoven's Last Night" as well as their most recent album "Night Castle" which debuted at #5 on the Billboard Charts.
