trans-siberian christmas

For this festive holiday season I've decided on the wonderful pick of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. This group is an eclectic mix of progressive rock, symphonic metal, and classical music. TSO is best known for its renditions of traditional Christmas songs. I discovered this group about six years and instantly fell in love with their music, especially their Christmas albums. They have three Christmas albums, but my favorite is Christmas Eve and Other Stories. It's a concept album: all the songs are built as chapters of a book, each telling part of a larger story. The plot here is of a young angel sent down to Earth to find and bring back to the Lord "the one thing that represents everything good that has been done in the name of this day." The angel's quest takes him all over the world, through Russia and Sarajevo, until he finally hears the prayer of a father. This last piece is the strongest moment on the album and makes for a miniature story within the larger story. It's basically told in a trilogy of songs: in the first, "Ornament," we hear the father's prayer, explaining how he hasn't seen his daughter in many years. In "Old City Bar," the angel finds his daughter, standing alone outside a bar, and talks to the bartender who, out of a random act of kindness, takes all the cash from his register drawer and gives it to the girl so she can go home. The third song," This Christmas Day," tells of the father praising God, thanking him for bringing his daughter back to him on this night of all nights. It's a very touching story and the message that if "you want to arrange it, this world you can change it" really hits home for the holidays. Add Trans-Siberian Orchestra to your holiday music collection and you'll find a very stunning and impressive album filled with energy that blows you away.