The Cellist of Sarajevo

Photo: "Cellist of Sarajevo" Vedran Smailović 

My daughter and I love holiday music. While I favor most of the old classics, she likes some of the newer versions of these songs.

We both agree that one of our favorites is  "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" (Trans-Siberian Orchestra). The combination of the orchestra, the electric guitar and the cello always leaves me feeling nostalgic yet haunted, and I never quite understood why until I learned the story behind the song. 

The song was done after Paul O'Neill (composer and founder of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra) heard a story of cello player born in Sarajevo many years ago. This man had left the country when he was fairly young, and had over the years become a well-respected musician, playing with various symphonies throughout Europe. 

Many decades later, he returned to Sarajevo at the height of the Bosnian War, only to find his city in complete ruins.

Paul says:

"The song basically wrapped itself around him. We used some of the oldest Christmas melodies we could find, like "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Carol of the Bells" (which is from Ukraine, near that region)."

Vedran Smajlović
performs in Sarajevo's
partially destroyed
National Library in 1992.

"I think what most broke this man's heart was that the destruction was not done by some outside invader or natural disaster—it was done by his own people. At that time, Serbs were shelling Sarajevo every night. Rather than head for the bomb shelters like his family and neighbors, this man went to the town square, climbed onto a pile of rubble that had once been the fountain, took out his cello, and played Mozart and Beethoven as the city was bombed."

"He came every night and began playing Christmas carols from that same spot. It was just such a powerful image—a lone man silhouetted against the cannon fire, playing timeless melodies to both sides of the conflict amid the rubble and devastation of the city he loves. Some time later, a reporter tracked him down to ask why he did this insanely stupid thing."

"The man said that it was his way of proving that despite all evidence to the contrary, the spirit of humanity was still alive in that place."

"In the song, the orchestra represents one side, the rock band the other, and the single cello represents that single individual, that spark of hope."

The cellist in the story is Vedran Smailović who was in his mid-thirties at the time of the Siege of Sarajevo. Many details & versions of his story have been circulated over the years and fictionalized, but it is true that he played in and around ruined buildings in Sarajevo during the war.

It is said that Smailović also played at funerals during the siege, even though funerals were often targeted by snipers. He escaped the city in late 1993 and has since been involved in numerous music projects as a performer, composer and conductor. His story has inspired and caught the imagination of many people around the world. 

I don't think I will ever listen to this song in the same way again.

You can listen to a live version of  "Christmas Eve, Sarajevo"  here. (A little bright with all the lasers and 

Pyrotechnics but worth it!)

Christmas Eve and 

Other Stories (CD)

What are some of your family favorites? 

Contact: barbara@bodylogique.com