LITTLE TRAGEDIES

My review # 250.

'Awesome musicians, exciting prog, from Russia'

The Russian progrock formation Little Tragedies was founded in 1994 by composer Gennady Ilyin, a graduate of the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Between 1995 and 2014 the band has released 13 studio-album, the first 3 as a trio featuring Gennady Ilyin on keyboards, Yuri Skripkin on drums and Oleg Babynin on bass. Since their next effort entitled Return from 2005 Little Tragedies turned into a five piece formation, including a guitar ' and saxophone player. I follow this outstanding band for more than a decade and I am impressed how they have matured, and how they keep on delivering quality albums. After my reviews about their two excellent 2009 albums The Paris Symphony and The Magic Shop I would like to go back one more year in time, this review is about their CD # 9 entitled Cross. I am delighted about the great tension between the bombastic and mellow songs, the inventive arrangements and the excellent work on keyboards and guitar, these musicians succeed to keep my attention this entire album!

1. Cross (8.34): This CD (running time 62 minutes) starts with the long titletrack, what an exciting experience: ultra- bombastic atmospheres with sensational synthesizer flights, flowing guitarwork, powerful Hammond waves, a very propulsive and dynamic rhythm-section and awesome interplay.

2. Autumn (4:57): After a warm classical guitar intro, the climate turns into mellow featuring soaring Hammond organ, soft synthesizer runs and almost whispering Russian vocals, what a contrast with the first song!

3. Lakes (4:13): A dreamy atmosphere with wonderful interplay between keyboards and sensitive electric guitar, halfway a break with a bass solo (accompanied by tender piano) and in the end pleasant work on the clarinet.

4. Old Abbey (7:32): A very varied composition: an intro with delicate interplay between harpsichord and synthesizers, then a slow rhtyhm that turns into bombastic with exciting synthesizer flights and finally a dreamy climate with acoustic guitar, warm vocals and moving guitar runs.

5. Portrait of a Man (3:46): The flamenco guitar intro strongly evokes Spanish Caravan by The Doors to me, then a mellow atmosphere that is beautifully coloured by clarinet, vocals and howling electric guitar.

6. Tanets (4:28): A cheerful song that reminds me of Seventies Mike Oldfield with a wide range of instruments, including a swirling Hammond organ solo.

7. The Voice of Silence (19:10): This epic composition delivers lots of spectacular bombastic parts with dazzling synthesizer runs, ELP inspired Hammond work and exciting interplay between guitar and keyboards. Very subtle is the blend of flamenco rhythm guitar in some parts, it gives a special flavour to the music.

8. Eagle (6:42): After a spacey intro, we can enjoy wonderful interplay between piano and Hammond organ, topped by moving electric guitar. What a tension in the music and what a contrast with the bombastic part of this stunning Russian progrock formation!

9. Hippopotamus (2:48) : Again great interplay between guitar and keyboards, along a pleasant intro with clarinet and vocals. The final part features a spectacular synthesizer solo, what a virtuoso!

This is a top notch progrock formation that started as a kind of 'ELP meets Ayreon', but gradually Little Tragedies developped a more varied and elaborate sound, highly recommended!

This Russian formation was founded in the late Eighties by composer/keyboard player Gennady Lliyn, he is the brainchild of Little Tragedies. My first musical encounter with Little Tragedies was shortly after the release of their fourth studio album entitled Return (2005). From the very first moment I was very impressed by their often bombastic sound with awesome interplay, the Russian vocals add an extra dimension to the music. Meanwhile Little Tragedies have released 13 studio-albums, At Nights is their latest, from 2014. This review is about their 11th album entitled Magic Shop, unfortunately it lacks those special sounding native vocals. Magic Shop is a concept with a Christmas fairy tale as the subject, in the information booklet you can read about that.

The CD Magic Shop contains 20 tracks that sound melodic and varied with again impressive interplay, especially between the powerful and harder-edged guitar and the flashy keyboard runs. In my opinion this is Little Tragedies their trademark, along with the classical overtones (you can hear that Gennady is classically trained). The cheerful lyrics of the songs are perfectly translated into the atmospheres, especially in Shepherd Boys (halfway the climate changes into heavy with dazzling work on guitar, keyboards and drums), Malvina & Piero (with saxophone and a xylophone sound), The Sheriff (in the vein of Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson with a surprising bluesy conclusion) and Matryoshka (pleasant interplay between guitar and saxophone).

We can enjoy Little Tragedies their usual ultimate bombastic sound in the tracks Overture (amazing interplay and virtuosic soli), Little Cooks (wonderful build-up and delicate organ work), Tango (flashy synthesizer flights and swinging piano) and Moraziana (mid-tempo with a fat rock guitar, virtuosic keyboard runs and a propulsive rhythm-section). I am also very pleased with the beautiful, mellower compositions Pathway To The Magic Shop (warm combination of classical guitar and dreamy keyboards), The Minstrel (harpsichord and sensitive electric guitar) and the final track Epilogue (dreamy with again sensitive electric guitar runs).

Along with Return (2005) and the 2-CD Faust (2006), this album is part of Little Tragedies their best work, this Russian formation sounds inspired and creative.

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.

I have heard a couple of other albums by Little Tragedies, but it is safe to say that they didn't impress me nearly as much as this did. Inspired heavily by the Seventies, and by ELP in particular, this has a complexity and togetherness that is rarely displayed by other prog bands. It is full of dynamics, with gentle guitar and synthesised flute combining with fretless bass and rim shots to create a certain mood, yet at the next they can all be off and flying with every musician pursuing note density and complexity yet always making perfect musical sense. Musically it is more Western than Eastern, with just the vocals (performed by Gennady in a spoken style, in his native Russian) creating something that is obviously different.

In some ways, it is the vocals that spoil this for me, as there is so much going on that they could easily have made this a fully instrumental album, and not bothered with the vocals at all. There are large sections where the band allow themselves to fully push themselves, with no words to heard, and it is here when they fully come alive. The longest track, "The God Abandoned", is nearly twenty minutes in length, and vocals are there only for a small part of it, yet the song just flies by as the listener is taken deep into an incredible world of soaring keyboards and guitars, with majestic interplay between all those involved. Their site is available in English, and I urge every proghead to discover the joys of Little Tragedies.

The debut album from Little Tragedies, I presume. Or maybe that was The Cross. I am too lazy this morning to find the answer. Anyway, this album show some promise. But it still falls short of expectations. The music is synths and even more synths. It is also symphonic prog with a large degree of avant-garde music too. It also have a large degree of Russian folk music in it too. What this have to do with the tragic demise of Titanic in 1912, I do not know. But the Titanic tragedy moved a lot of other nations than those directly involved too so a Russian doing a Titanic tribute is actually perfectly normal...... and honorable.

Most parts of this album most certainly feels like a funeral dirge. There is even a Russian traditional hymn here, sung in Russian. Which gives this album more style. Unfortunate, the avant-garde nodding destroys what could had been a good album. I am normally a fan of avant-garde music. But in this case, the avant-garde musings here is totally missing the boat. It feels like a bad excuse to rack up the minutes. There is some good music here. But not enough to call this a good album. I give it two stars, bordering to three stars.

2.75 stars

Same year with ''The sun of spirit'' comes the second part of Gennady Ilyin's trilogy, entitled ''Porcelain pavilion'' and practically recorded around the same time with the first part with Igor Mikhel on guitars.It was released on Boheme Music and the album has seen a few reissues, the MALS one credited to Ilyin contains also some bonus material.''Porcelain pavilion'' marks also the first attempt by Ilyin to promote his project through a videoclip (the chosen track was the ''The way'').

''Porcelain pavilion'' has a slightly more optimistic approach than the previous album, somewhat abandoning the intense, sinister Avant-Garde-like moments for a more dreamy, accesible and pleasant sound, always along the lines of Classical-flavored Progressive Rock.Musically the album is heavily led by Ilyin's keyboard pyrotechnics with organ, synthesizers and piano as the main instruments, delivering a more direct style towards Classic Symphonic Rock with evident E.L.P. nuances.The music is interesting with a few nice melodies, angular solos and vintage-styled organ moves, rarely giving emphasis on the cinematic soundscapes of the previous work, although some Electronic and ambiental atmospheres are still present.The concept flows with Ilyin's narration, always delivered in the Russian language, and the sporadic moments with Mikhel on guitars become extremely bombastic, having a certain more grandiose flavor.The synthetic drums are an issue, but basically for a one-man effort ''Porcelain pavilion'' appears to be more than decent, maybe a bit more of an electric taste with guitars could give the album a higher value.

Keyboard-based Prog Rock with some lovely symphonic colors, struggling a bit due to a plastic rhythm section.Nothing more, nothing less.Recommended.

Another excellent album from this Russian band! This album is for everyone who enjoys art rock/symphonic prog/classical music with a Russian twist. It is obvious where Gennady Ilyin has taken his inspirations from; as a classical pianist he has much in common with Keith Emerson - and that is good! In "Hallelujah" Little tragedies interpret a song by Prokofiev in a very enjoyable manner - it is a merry tune with a Christmas feeling - and ELP used the same song as base in their "I Believe in Father Christmas". "Conquistador" is a nine minute breathtaking journey that stretches from heavy prog through melancholy and ends up with an emotional final. "Obsessed" is another nine minute of pleasure, starting with a feeling that the obsession is boiling underneath - and that bursts out two minutes into the track, then comes a passage with Russian song, the track then brings all pieces together in the final. "Poet's House" is a moody passage with Russian song. "Too Late" is like a 12 minute long symphonic poem, starting in silence, then the keyboards and guitar bursts out in a heavier theme, followed by a short emotional Russian song passage, leaving room for a heavier passage, combining some of the elements from the album, slowly ramping up the piece, adding new elements, to the grand finale, which is breathtaking in its beauty, ending with a question mark - is it really too late? I have listen more or less continuous at this album during the last two weeks and despite some weaknesses (mainly regarding the vocals and some recording imperfections) and my conclusions cannot be other than that this is a true masterpiece! Gennady Ilyin is a true genius, both as a keyboard player and as a composer, where he is one of the absolute best in the world - sorry to say that his vocals are average though. Also the other musicians in the band are truly excellent. This album is a true gem and a "must have"! Despite the average vocals and the "non-state-of-the-art" recording, this album is far too good to not deserve a 4.8 star rating. Highly recommended!

With "Return", Little Tragedies have progressed into one of the very best bands in the contemporary "Symphonic prog / art rock" genre. I have no clue what the lyrics are about as it is all in Russian - but the music speaks for itself - and how it speaks! This is truly excellent! Imagine a combination of ELP, Arena, Dream Theater, classical music with a Russian twist and the outcome will be pretty close to Little Tragedies. The band leader and main composer, Gennady Ilyin, has developed to be an excellent composer and the music is very melodic and appealing, beautiful and complex - also for the demanding listener. This is very much keyboard-driven music - but all musicians perform extremely well and play with loads of feeling and technical skill; this is indeed a very tight and good album. Absolute world class! Highly recommended!

"The Paris Symphony" is in my opinion the weakest effort from this excellent Kursk-based band. It is obvious that Keith Emerson is some kind of role model for Gennady Ilyin, who doubtless is a very skilled musician - but when it comes to composition The Paris Symphony lacks the confidence of the bands later efforts and the distance to Keith Emerson is in this case obvious. It is however interesting to follow the bands progress; from this bud to later beautiful flowers and as such, this album deserve a three star rating. Gennady Ilyin is the main musician on this album - and he definitly know how to play his keyboards! All musicians on this album are good - and that is not the problem. No; the problem is rather that the music drowns in all keyboards. I however like the idea to make a concept out of the perceptions and and emotions related to Paris - and in some respect I would say that Gennady and co- musicians have succeeded. How about the music then? Basically it is very obvious that Gennady, who is the main composer, is classically trained both as concert pianist and as classical composer. On this album, he mixes quite gothic type organs with jazz, classical music and some rock - and he does it with a twist (I like the surprising "Paint it black" reference at the end of "Montmatre" - how on earth did that end up there?). The production could however been better. Don't get me wrong: I am a big fan of Little Tragedies - but I would rather (and highly) recommend their later albums, where the bud really have evolved into the most beautiful flower. I would give this album a 2.6 star rating.

The cross from 2008 is another worthy album from their catalogue. This time a simple album but clocking over an hour of music. Musicaly speaking Little Tragedies is inspired by bands like ELP and from symphonic prog bands from the '70 thats for sure but also they incorporated in their sound some prog metal elements, the combination resulted is excellent and without sounding like a prog metal band at all. The head of the band Gennady Ilyin and together with the guitarsist they done some fantstic work here again. I think this band is quite underrated and to less known to larger public and is a shame because their music is very complicated and yet melodic and full of intresting arrangements. Sometimes is keyboard dominated prog, sometimes is more towards prog metal ala Dream Theater, sometimes the band combines this two always with eficiency and with good intelligent passages. Some brilliant moments are on opening track The cross or The God Abandoned almost 18 min of pure beauty, both show how great Little Tragedies is. Here we have also some fokish moments like on Tanets and in rest the album is an avalanche of keyboards and impressive song writting. Again 4 stars , but I like little more New faust then this one, still excellent and overlooked.