If you loved him for his insane prog‐rock onslaughts with Emerson, Lake & Palmer and The Nice, take note: this is different. With über‐ conductor Terje Mikkelson and guitarist Marc Bonilla, Keith hasn’t just rehashed ELP and solo tracks with an orchestra (alongside new work), he’s immersed them in contemporary classicism.
Psychedelic, raw pieces have become compelling ‘modern classics’, encompassing aspects from across his career, including his film score work. Considering his long‐standing appreciation of classical elements, Three Fates stands clearly as the record Emerson always wanted to make.
Propelled by his classical/jazz/prog‐fusion keys, and the rousing Satriani‐esque tone in Bonilla’s playing, it’s a polished, full‐scale approach, and it’s particularly effective on Tarkus, realised in awesome progressive‐classical form.
Some of the manic unpredictability that made ELP so electric is arguably missing, but altogether it’s a stirring flourish of prog‐rock sensibilities and symphonic inspiration.
