Caprice - The Evening of Iluvater’s Children

Caprice are an 11-piece Russian symphonic group who are heavily inspired by Lord of the Rings. The group’s musical ability on The Evening of Iluvater’s Children is highly impressive; some pieces sound like renaissance dances, others remind one of the work Vaughn Williams or the more mellow songs by Elgar. Lyrics sung or recited in English. It is a worthwhile project for Tolkein devotees to seek out but overall the release is too closed for anyone who is not au fait with Middle Earth and Rivendell. A lot of the reference points evoked are simply beyond me. For more information go to www.kulichki.com/pmusic/caprice/ (review by Mike Shankland)