THE PARIS SYMPHONY

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 wonderful genuine Russian names!), after a visit to Paris keyboard wizard Gennady got inspired by the awesome Parissian architecture and cultural heritage and started to work out a tribute with Little Tragedies, recorded in 1996 and 1997 and in 2009 released on CD by the French progrock label Musea.

On Little Tragedies their wonderful website I read: "After visiting Paris in April 1995, which impressed Gennady very much, he started working on The Paris Symphony. The climax of this almost 45-minute work is the three-part opus Napoleon which, in a way, is the heel post of the 'symphony: it determines the structure and intonation of the other parts: House Of Invalids, Notre-Dame De Paris, Luxemburg Garden, Montmartre and Triumphal Arch. The major themes of The Paris Symphony are based on the tunes of and allusions to the Catholic Easter worship service in the Notre-Dame Cathedral. The Paris Symphony was played a few times in music schools and concert halls of Kursk, the city were Little Tragedies was born."

The album contains 9 tracks (between 2 and 11 minutes, total time around 56 minutes) delivering mainly bombastic atmospheres, loaded with dazzling and spectacular synthesizer flights and Emersonian Hammond organ runs, supported by a tight and energetic rhythm-section. Only the short composition Moonlight People contains a more mellow atmosphere: dreamy with orchestral keyboards but finally also culminating in bombastic with sensational keyboards. But in general Little Tragedies their music is a winner for the fans of ELP, Trace and Gerard. I am blown away by the majestic church organ in Notre Dame De Paris and Montmartre and the exciting duels between Hammond organ and synthesizer in Romantic Waltz and Relayer, this is virtuosic keyboard driven progrock!

My rating: 3,5 star.