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THE PARIS SYMPHONY

Little Tragedies

Symphonic Prog


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Little Tragedies The Paris Symphony album cover
3.15 | 28 ratings | 5 reviews | 18% 5 stars

Good, but non-essential

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Studio Album, released in 2009

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Notre-Dame de Paris (7:37)
2. Montemartre (5:57)
3. Hotel des Invalides (10:28)
4. Napoleon (9:21)
5. Jardin Du Luxembourg (3:56)
6. Arc de Triomphe (6:14)

Bonus Tracks:
7. Moonlight People (2:38)
8. Romantic Walz (4:07)
9. Relayer (5:51)

Total Time: 56:09

Line-up / Musicians

- Gennady Ilyin / keyboards, composer
- Oleg Babynin / bass
- Yury Skripkin / drums

Note : The actual instrumentation could not be fully confirmed at this moment

Releases information

Originally recorded in 1997, released in 2009

CD Musea ‎- FGBG 4784 (2009, France)

Thanks to toroddfuglesteg for the addition
and to Quinino for the last updates
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LITTLE TRAGEDIES The Paris Symphony ratings distribution


3.15
(28 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(18%)
18%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(21%)
21%
Good, but non-essential (54%)
54%
Collectors/fans only (7%)
7%
Poor. Only for completionists (0%)
0%

LITTLE TRAGEDIES The Paris Symphony reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by Windhawk
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars The Paris Symphony contains the first material ever recorded by Russian outfit Little Tragedies. The main composition, divided into 6 parts, makes up the most of this production, while three bonus tracks recorded in 1996 has been added as bonus material.

What we're dealing with is music pretty much in the realm of ELP. Bombastic symphonic rock with a big emphasis on the b-word and the s-word, while the rock as such takes a back seat. Lartge, dramatic synth cascades and flurries mix with organs of various types - all emulated presumably - while bass and drums set up the basic foundations for the bursts, flurries and overall bombastic keyboards.

Technically it sounds dated, with a highly synthethic sound, and the recording quality leaves a lot to be desired as well. Especially on the main portion of the CD, where the music actually breaks in the loudest, busiest segments. Still, in despite of this The Paris Symphony is an intriguing affair. The compositions are pretty strong, and the main negative part of this venture is due to the recording quality rather than the compositional or performance aspect present.

Wwll worth investigating for fans of the genre, as long as they can tolerate the technical weaknesses.

Review by Epignosis
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars Fans of ELP rejoice. This Russian trio, Little Tragedies, has crafted a very fine album rooted strongly in the tradition of they that created a "Karn Evil 9." The keyboards have the greatest presence, sometimes recreating harsh string melodies, but the bass and drums do more than merely provide a steady backbone. As musicians, they are excellent, executing several complicated passages, sometimes one directly after the other. As composers, they are questionable. The big downside of the album is the scarcity of musical themes that anchor the performances, which range from rigidly structured works to seemingly improvised jams. That said, this album is highly recommended to those craving symphonic progressive rock music in the purest sense- classical-sounding pieces interpreted through rock instrumentation.

"Notre Dame de Paris" Bright cathedral organ begins this pompous ride. It does not adequately prepare the listener for the bombastic bomb of sound that follows- barrages of drums, synthesizer, and bass. The only respite permitted was in the beginning- everything else about this piece is harsh, frantic, and unrelenting synthesizer magic.

"Montemartre" Further church organ ensues, but stops abruptly to allow for a dark jazz rock excursion- something completely unexpected. The latter part of the piece is laden with overwhelming synthesizer leads, which are quite astringent at times.

"Hotel des Invalides" After an eerily childlike introduction, warlike music begins, boasting drums and dark strings. Lively bass dances in, but generally speaking, the atmosphere remains thick and menacing. Were it not for the instrumentation, I might mistakenly believe I was hearing a lost Igor Stravinsky piece.

"Napoleon" Perhaps the most difficult of all the pieces to follow, this one begins with a long, soaring synthesizer note, which screams over heavy chords, and soon a volley of keyboard notes crash in from all directions. Stark drumming interrupts the piece, but is soon joined by strings. It is all over the place- I can't really say that I enjoy the constant dissonance and intensity, but I refuse to go so far as to condemn this work as uncreative. The squealing synthesizer lead is rather annoying, however.

"Jardin Du Luxembourg" Bass and strings open this rather brief piece before ominous organ and drums join it.

"Arc de Triomphe" Airy, almost windy keyboards usher in a screeching, malevolent synthesizer lead- what I imagine the wretched denizens of perdition would sound like if momentarily set loose from their prison. When the piece proper begins, it possesses a fuller sound, yet that wailing lead guides the listener through the cacophonic journey to a radiant conclusion.

"Moonlight People" More delicate fare arises here on this transitorily ethereal track, which has only keyboard instrumentation- a simply beautiful, almost nostalgia-inducing affair.

"Romantic Walz" Percussive organ is joined by percussion to create a flighty piece that is chock full of runs and solid bass work. Wailing synthesizer enlists in the fray, sometimes feeling out of place. The build toward the end is magnificent, even if the lead instrument must spoil it.

"Relayer" As with much of the rest of the music, the constant torrent of keyboard runs can be wearisome to endure, and this problem drastically worsens in several places here. Incidentally, some of their most amazing work can be found here though- it's just a matter of bearing with the deluge to enjoy the gems.

Latest members reviews

3 stars The Russian progrock formation Little Tragedies was founded in 1994 by composer Gennady Ilyin, a graduate of the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Between 1995 and 2000 Little Tragedies was a trio that consisted of Gennady Ilyin on keyboards, Yuri Skripkin on drums and Oleg Babynin on bass (what a ... (read more)

Report this review (#1915839) | Posted by TenYearsAfter | Friday, April 20, 2018 | Review Permanlink

3 stars "The Paris Symphony" is in my opinion the weakest effort from this excellent Kursk-based band. It is obvious that Keith Emerson is some kind of role model for Gennady Ilyin, who doubtless is a very skilled musician - but when it comes to composition The Paris Symphony lacks the confidence of the ... (read more)

Report this review (#1068885) | Posted by Sol Invictus | Wednesday, October 30, 2013 | Review Permanlink

3 stars The first ever compositions from this Russian band. The mainman in Little Tragedies, Gennady Ilyin, has a degree in music from a Russian university and is classically trained. That is pretty evident here and on all their albums. Little Tragedies comes into progressive rock from the classical s ... (read more)

Report this review (#487377) | Posted by toroddfuglesteg | Wednesday, July 20, 2011 | Review Permanlink

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