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LITTLE TRAGEDIES : New Faust

Release

Style

The world-famous Faust story about a man who sold his soul to the devil in return for eternal life, is a favourite theme in music. Classical names like Liszt and Gounod already undertook giant enterprises in the symphony and opera repertoire, and now Russian composer Gennady Ilyin has made an attempt to confront humankind with its dark side. And what an impressive attempt it is! Like Little Tragedies’ previous record “Return”, “New Faust” has become a bombastic album, only now the bombast is much better balanced. Just because a satisfying amount of calm passages is added and the band was less out to impress the audience, this double album proves more substantial and lyrical than “Return”. The ELP influence is less obvious; Dream Theater’s technical complexity and the key registers of Tony Banks and Rick Wakeman also pay their visits. In “Sabbath” for instance you can hear echo’s from Wakeman’s 1975 classic “The Six Wives Of Henry VIII”. Despite all western references Ilyin keeps the Slavic soul intact, augmented by Russian vocals. Still we are happy that the singing is limited to a few bars. Instrumentally this is a real tour de force, and this album isn’t exactly for beginners. Sympho has seldom sounded as symphonic as this. It speaks for itself that Ilyin’s multicoloured and multilayered keyboards are reigning the gothic court, so comparing him to Swedish virtuoso Pär Lindh is likely. Propulsive guitar riffs and drums update the characteristic seventies sound. 

Musicians

Gennady Ilyin: keyboards, vocals

Yuri Skripkin: drums

Alexander Malakhovsky: guitar

Oleg Babynin: bass guitar, vocals

Aleksey Bildin: saxophone

CD I
1. Epigraph (music by J.S. Bach)
2. Prologue
3. The Prophets
4. I am Tired to Be Around People
5. Two Demons

CD II
1. Sabbath
2. Margarita
3. Confutatis
4. The Passing
5. Cup of Life
6. Anticipating Christmas
7. Arabesque
8. Eternal
9. Some Day You will Remember Me

Porcelain Pavilion (1999/2001)

Sun of the Spirits (2000/2001)

Return (2005)

New Faust (2006)

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Last updated: 15 augustus 2006 .
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