From Deseret News archives:
Trans-Siberian Orchestra opens holiday season with joyful show
WEST VALLEY CITY — The yuletide season officially began Thursday when the Trans-Siberian Orchestra brought its annual winter concert to the E Center.
As it has in the past, the band — featuring core members Al Pitrelli (who played sitting down because of a shattered knee) and Angus Clark on guitar, Jane Mangini and Derek Wieland on piano and keys, drummer John O. Reilly and bassist Chris Altenhoff (who made his Utah debut this year) — cranked out the songs and story from its debut CD "Christmas Eve & Other Stories."
Narrated by silky-voiced Tony Gaynor, the band highlighted the story of an angel trying to help a runaway girl find her way home.
Sweeping arrangements of Christmas carols, done in progressive-rock glory, had various vocalists, including Tommy Farese, Kristin Gorman, Erin Henry, Christie George, Jeff Scott Soto, Bart Shatto and Andrew Ross giving voices to different characters and situations.
Also making their Utah debut were string master Mark Wood and violinist Alison Zlotow, who led local musicians called the Salt Lake Strings throughout the night. And the strings were heard more clearly this year than they have been in the past.
"An Angel Came Down," the instrumental medley of "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "O Holy Night" were well mixed and powerful. But all was not fun and games. When Gaynor retold the segment where the angel finds hope during the war in Sarajevo, there were more than a few wet eyes in the audience.
By the time the "Old City Bar" segment, which featured Shatto's heart-tugging vocals, the audience was actually silent for a spell, taking in the mesmerizing performance.
It was the second act where the band really let loose. Rock-opera takes on Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana," Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumble Bee" and Beethoven's Ninth and Fifth symphonies got the TSO touch.
Gorman got the audience members on their feet with her vocal gymnastics during "Queen of the Winter Night." She surprised the audience by appearing on a satellite stage toward the back of the arena.
There was a microphone glitch during the band's trademark "Christmas Canon Rock," but the audience didn't seem to notice too much.
At one point, Clark and Zlotow ventured out into the audience and climbed aboard the aforementioned satellite stage and, in a burst of fog, rose to the height of the E Center's upper bowl.
Still, the performance, which featured loads of flash pots, fireworks, laser lights and mobile stages, was worth the price of the ticket.
Speaking of money, prior to the performance — and continuing the band's tradition of donating a dollar for every ticket sold — TSO announced a donation of $9,563 to the Utah Food Bank.
The donation set the joyful spirit for the rest of the evening.
E-mail: scott@desnews.com
