For those familiar with Trans Siberian Orchestra's "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24," I wanted to share the back story to this song that I heard the other day. I hope can remember enough of it to share.

The song writers had heard a story about an old musician, a cellist. It was during the war in Sarajevo and there was heavy fighting in the city. I understand that Sarajevo is/was an old city that had existed for centuries relatively unscathed, even through WWII. However, the fighting during the war was really destroying so much of the history.

This cellist, who was quite old and had enjoyed a very successful career, had had enough. On Christmas ever, over the extreme objections of his family and friends, he took his cello and went to the town square. Miraculously, despite all the rockets and gunfire flying around, he made it through without a scratch. He started playing his cello right in the main square, playing in spite of all of the war raging around him.

The composers of the song tried to work in three elements of that event: the cello that you here is obvious, the hard-driving rock music is emblematic of the war raging and the symphonic music represents the town in hiding.

Think about that the next time you hear the song.

(And if anybody wants to correct or add to the story, please feel free. Like I said, I am not certain I remember all the details correctly.)