THE PARIS SYMPHONY

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.