Since its humble beginnings in the first decade of Stalin's rule, to performing over 1500 concerts at the frontlines in WWII, bolstering the besieged Russian troops' resolve, to the international acclaim that has followed them since the fall of the Iron Curtain, the Red Army Choir is arguably the world's leading and most visual choral/dance ensemble. "Live in Paris" is a stunning group of 25 (actually 27, with bonus tracks "Silent Night" and "Jingle Bells") pieces, from the testosterone-soaked "Russian National Anthem," "Oh Fields My Fields," "The Sacred War" (an apt anthem for a people who stopped the Nazi war machine in its bloody tracks), "Kalinka" and "On the Road" (A Soldier's Song); to dramatic and colorful dance numbers like "The Cossack Dance," "The Navy Dance" (where women first appear onstage), the high-kicking "Zaporoque's Cossacks" and "The Festival March" this is powerful, moving stuff throughout. Opera-quality Tenor and Baritone soloists, an orchestra that includes multiple balalaikas and accordions, and song selections like "Dark Eyes," "The Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves," "The Bandit's Chorus," "The March of the Toreadors," "Katioucha" and "Moscow Nights;" these are the soul of heroic romanticism. The bottom line: "Live in Paris" is great entertainment on many levels!