News

Christmas isn’t anywhere near our minds at Second Disc HQ, but a band typically associated with the season has a reissue coming out next week.

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra, the successful symphonic rock band whose guitar-heavy versions of traditional carols are radio staples at Christmas, have released two non-holiday albums in their almost 20-year history: 2000’s Beethoven’s Last Night and 2009’s Night Castle. Now, with the group playing Beethoven’s Last Night in its entirety on a tour that continues through May 13, they are issuing an expanded edition of Beethoven’s Last Night which includes the between-song narrations as heard in live performances.

Beethoven’s Last Night is the fantastical tale of the influential German composer who, on the night of his death, challenges Mephistopheles for control of his soul. Predictably, the program features rock arrangements of both Beethoven’s classic pieces (including Für Elise, the Moonlight and Pathetique sonatas and the immortal Symphony No. 9) as well as treatments of works by Mozart and Chopin.

The double-disc set, which features new artwork, is sold at TSO shows but will be available exclusively at Wal-Mart stores in America on Tuesday, March 13. A digital edition will be available April 17.

Hit the jump to check out the track breakdown.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Beethoven’s Last Night: The Complete Narrated Version (originally released as Lava/Atlantic 83319-2, 2000 – reissued Rhino, 2012)

Disc 1

1. Overture
2. Midnight (Narration) *
3. Midnight
4. Fate
5. What Good This Deafness (Narration) *
6. What Good This Deafness
7. Mephistopheles (Narration) *
8. Mephistopheles
9. What is Eternal (Narration) *
10. What is Eternal
11. The Moment (Narration) *
12. The Moment
13. Vienna (Narration) *
14. Vienna
15. Mozart (Narration) *
16. Mozart
17. The Dreams of Candlelight (Narration) *
18. The Dreams of Candlelight
19. Requiem (The Fifth) (Narration) *
20. Requiem (The Fifth)
21. I’ll Keep Your Secrets (Narration) *
22. I’ll Keep Your Secrets
23. The Dark (Narration) *
24. The Dark
25. Fur Elise (Narration) *
26. Fur Elise
27. After the Fall (Narration) *
28. After the Fall

Disc 2

1. A Last Illusion (Narration) *
2. A Last Illusion
3. This is Who You Are (Narration) *
4. This is Who You Are
5. Beethoven
6. Mephistopheles’ Return (Narration) *
7. Mephistopheles’ Return
8. Misery (Narration) *
9. Misery
10. Who is This Child (Narration) *
11. Who is This Child
12. A Final Dream (Narration) *
13. A Final Dream
14. Ending Narration *

* denotes previously unreleased track