Paradise Found
Review by Richard Buxton
Riding the crest of DOWNTON ABBEY’S period drama wave, drama series THE PARADISE confirms that audiences’ desires to have their belief that English people, as a rule, speak with such meticulousness that the Queen herself would writhe with envy, has yet to waver. Airing on the BBC in the UK and PBS in the US, THE PARADISE tells the story of England’s first ever department store and its effect on the surrounding community, and introduces a composer who is likely to be cropping up on the radar of many in the wake of this release - MAURIZIO MALAGNINI. MALAGNINI’S career is still in its infancy, but the Italian composer is already displaying a panache far beyond that which his relatively little experience might suggest.
Many scores, particularly those from television, suffer from a wavering in quality resulting from a lack of consistency. THE PARADISE shows no such weakness in what is a remarkably dependable album that is unfailingly engaging despite lacking the highs that could decisively elevate it into greatness.
