Trans-Siberian Orchestra takes on "Beethoven's Last Night"

As well he should. Under the leadership of Paul O'Neill, Trans-Siberian Orchestra has sold more than 8 million units. The TSO debuted in 1996 with "Christmas Eve and Other Stories," highlighted by the Christmas classic, "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24." That record, according to a press release, has since achieved double-platinum certification from the RIAA, with sales now rapidly approaching 3 million. Two subsequent albums completed O'Neill's planned Christmas Trilogy -- 1998's "Christmas Attic" and 2004's "The Lost Christmas Eve," both of which are approaching double-platinum certification.

Now the TSO has embarked on a tour playing "Beethoven's Last Night" in its entirety. "Beethoven" is a CD that TSO recorded in the late 1990s, Pitrelli said, that tells the story of the great composer's last night on Earth. During the performance, Beethoven is confronted by his past, his present and "the absurdity of the future." He ends up in a head-to-head battle with Mephistopheles, also known as the devil.

"It's the Beethoven rock opera in its entirety again with the narration from top to bottom," Pitrelli said. "It's been received real well for the past couple years. We don't want to mess with that formula. We will be changing up the second half of the show, doing a lot of different songs from a lot of different albums that we have. We want to bring out some new singers. It'll have a different look to it. It'll be different enough where it will stay interesting for the people who come see us a couple years in a row now. The integrity of the show will be intact."

Pitrelli explained that Beethoven was deaf when he wrote some of the most beautiful compositions in the history of music.

"What I try to tell people is, if you ever listen to Stevie Wonder -- and I've watched Stevie Wonder play countless numbers of times all my life -- he can't see the reaction on my face," Pitrelli said.

"He can hear the reaction but he'll never see how he put a smile on somebody's face. Beethoven couldn't even hear his own composition, never mind listen or know the response to it. I think that's the saddest thing ever for an artist."

Whether it's the annual Christmas tours or the "Beethoven" jaunts, TSO relishes the reaction it gets from fans.

"I don't remember what city it was in. but this is something that'll last me the rest of my life," Pitrelli said.

"I looked out at the audience; the ages range from 7 years old to 97. Anyway, I'm playing and I look out at the audience and I see this very handsome elderly man. He's a grandfather. He has gray hair. He has the vest pullover, nice shirt with a tie on. Very well dressed. On his lap, is what I would assume is his granddaughter. She's got one of those green velvet Christmasy dresses on and like the pretty little blouse with the ribbons and all the bells and whistles that go with that. She's got to be 4 or 5 years old. She's standing on his leg. And she's standing up so they're basically nose to nose with each other."

The little girl would look at the stage and then look at her grandfather in wonderment.

"She'd wrap her arms around his neck and she'd give him the biggest kiss on the cheek," Pitrelli said. "Then she'd continue going back and forth between him and the stage. If you can imagine what that looks like in your mind, imagine what I felt like looking down from the stage. After all these years of doing this, to see something so beautiful and innocent, and how he looked at her as she watched us, that was one of the most rewarding things I can recall in years."