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"The Prodigal Son"
Interview with
the great Russian composer
and
keyboardist Gennady Ilyin
By Sergio
Vilar
How did the band start and
who plays in it now? But first, why did you become a musician?
When I was little I was
attracted by any music. At night, I often heard some music passages that
wouldn’t let me sleep. I asked what was playing, but I happened to be
the only one who heard it. I first listened to Beatles when I was
5 and then realized I wanted to be a musician. My uncle, a professional
tenor, took me to the audition at the children’s music school. I began
taking piano lessons. As I was mastering this instrument I made my first
attempts to write music. When I got my own piano I started improvising
for hours. Of course, I was influenced by different groups I heard at
that time (The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple,
Uriah Heep, and Russian Pesnyary) and classic music I
studied at school. At 11 I started playing keyboards and drums in
different bands. Certainly, we played the songs of the 1970's
bands, but
sometimes I was allowed to play something of my own, as I was the
youngest in the group.
At
the age of 16 I was admitted to a professional Music School to become a
pianist. Very soon I got tired of playing somebody else’s music and I
built my own band where I could express my musical ideas. It was the
time when I was really into ELP. I did and I do think that
Keith Emerson is an outstanding pianist and composer. He developed
musical ideas of the 1970-s and was surely my teacher. Of course, my
admiration for him couldn’t help influencing my music. Nevertheless,
I’ve always tried to find my own way. From the very beginning, my music
was directed to the genres of instrumental suite, variation, symphony,
and different combinations of classic, contemporary and rock music.
Shortly after graduation from the Music School I went to the military.
Afterwards, I realized I needed academic education in composition. I
always had musical ideas, but I didn’t know how to deal with them. The
St. Petersburg Conservatory taught me many things, and the city filled
with its mystic spirit that is now reflected on Little Tragedies’
CD’s.
Almost every vacation I spent in my hometown in Russia where I had a
chance of playing and jamming with different musicians – this is how
Little Tragedies were put together. The band got this name in 1994
and is playing with the current line-up since 2000: Yury Skripkin
– drums, Oleg Babynin – bass, Alexander Malakhovsky –
guitar, Aleksey Bildin – saxophone, and I play the
keyboards.
Now, direct our readers: How would you describe
Little Tragedies’ music? Progressive?
It’s not so easy to answer
this question. I think there are features of different genres in
Little Tragedies’ music, but perhaps symphony prevails. If I should
try to define the genre of my recent works in musical terms I would call
it “symphonic songs”. The song must be built on a melody after all…
I
think today’s progressive rock doesn’t have much to do with musical
progress – it’s rather a revision of musical ideas of the 1970-s, a
fusion of expressive means and techniques typical of those rock bands.
Unfortunately, very often we see an artificial stylization of the 1970's
music and not its creative development. I think that Little Tragedies
develop the musical ideas of the past, and in that sense we belong to
progressive music. The music evolution is maintained by personalities
who support the continuity, contribute their own vision and use a set of
musical tools available at their time. My medium is my rock band.
Your music is so complex and elaborated... yet it
seems to flow naturally. How do you write music?
First of all, a composer
must have ideas, which is a matter of talent, and know what to do with
them, which is a matter of education. It is the ideas that determine
this or that form. Some people just don’t hear their own ideas. Besides,
it’s important to have knowledge and it demands continuous
self-education. By constant analysis of musical works of different times
you acquire your own vision in music. I am convinced that music is
moving towards symbolism, i.e. it’s enough to give one allusion in
harmony, facture, orchestration, etc. to feel what the author is driving
at. All music is based on succession… As for the natural sound, every
composer must be able to maintain a reasonable balance between the
Apollonian and the Dionysian – this is something we need to learn from
the ancients.
What role do you leave for
improvisation?
The idea of a new album
usually comes from the conception inspired by poems or a music theme,
and the rest is a matter of the composer’s skills. By improvising, I
sketch out the new album and build its basic structure. Even
Beethoven called his sonatas improvisations. At a live performance,
there is a chance for each musician to play ad lib. It can never be 100%
predicted how the concert goes, and improvisation often helps to hide
some imperfections.
Where do you get your inspiration in writing music
and who were your influences?
My inspiration comes from all
good and bad that happens to me in life. First of all, it’s my family.
Secondly, it’s something interesting I see, hear, read, or think over.
In this world, I don’t have authorities besides Jesus Christ. I don’t
feel extraordinary, I am just trying to write down what God dictates me.
My teachers in composition are J. Bach, W. Mozart,
L. Beethoven, J. Brahms, R. Wagner, A. Bruckner,
G. Mahler, P. Tchaikovsky, S. Rachmaninoff,
R. Strauss, I. Stravinsky, M. Mussorgsky,
S. Prokofiev, D. Shostakovich, etc.
In rock music, I like
progressive groups of 1970’s. I think Dream Theater’s
“Six Degrees Of
Inner Turbulence”
and “Octavarium” are very good. But my favorites are still The
Beatles’ “White Album” and Queen’s “Night in the
Opera”.
I'd like to congratulate you
on “The Sixth Sense”, your new album, – it's excellent. Really, I
enjoyed all the tracks.
How would you describe this CD?
Thank you, we tried to do
our best. This album turned out to be brighter and more lyrical than the
previous, “New Faust”. This album’s conception reflects different
emotions. The tension is expressed very modestly. I used simple song
forms with a developed middle part. In this album, the poet’s ideas
perfectly fit the music.
How different is it from your previous material?
First of all, the difference is
in the conception. In
“New Faust” last song, “Eternal”, God’s Kingdom is reached
and celebrated. That
album’s character, the New Faust, will not compromise with his soul, and
being alone he seeks faith. As F. Dostoyevsky said, “Through the
furnace of doubts my faith has passed”. Therefore, the topic itself
determines the time frames, demands the material to be thoroughly
processed and transformed. Actually, variability is one of the main
features of that album. While “New Faust” portrays a conversation
of the three: God, man and Satan, “The Sixth Sense” talks about
human relationships, love, friendship, sadness, irony, dreaminess and
search for life’s meaning.
Could you briefly describe each song?
The album opens with the
prologue – “The Sixth Sense”. According to Gumilev, the
sixth sense is an ability to feel God. It is possible to acquire this
ability through pain and suffering when nature and art work on man’s
soul. It’s a call to believe – that’s why the music is so flourish-like.
This song has a framing theme that will be repeated in “You and I”
making a bridge from the beginning to the end of the album. The middle
part of the song is an allusion to the Russian opera traditions. The
marching rhythm, dynamism, and facture growth lead to the theme climax.
The
“Bird” shows sadness and spiritual depression, which happen when
the world looks down at the person as a huge bird with steel claws. It
makes you feel helpless and sense the coming death.
“On the Seashore”
is Gumilev’s translation of a French poem. It tells about a
dialogue between the poet and the moon, which is very typical of the
medieval Chinese poetry. I used harpsichord as an allusion to the style
of French harpsichordists. The song is also framed with meditative
sounds.
“Prodigal Son”, a
suite and a musical illustration of the well-known parable, consists of
4 parts. The first part tells how the son is bored in his father’s house
and is not content with what he has. He has so much youth and strength
that he is dreaming of battles. He asks his father to let him go and
sail overseas to make it a better world. In the second part, he arrives
in Rome, full of hopes and thirst for activity. He is rich, he meets new
friends, and all doors are open for him. This part ends with the moral
lapse of the character. The third part illustrates his humbleness and
repentance, which bring the thoughts of going back home. The fourth part
is the tears of forgiveness and a hope for the future…
“Consolation” is
a prayer for a loved one who is about to pass away. In spite of the deep
sorrow, the poet’s heart is filled with hope that this person is on the
way to heaven. Therefore, the theme of death is reflected through light,
and the chamber accompaniment creates the atmosphere of a prayer.
“Dream” tells a
fantastic story of a man who woke up in the middle of the night from the
dream that his beloved fell in love with another man who hurt her. In
dismay, the man ran along the dark streets towards her house and is now
standing by her door suffering and not daring to knock. This anxiety and
dismay are reflected in the music. The dramatic effect is reinforced by
the citation from M. Glinka’s “Fantasy Waltz”.
In
“Bonding”, the poet shares a sad observation that unlike in
nature, where harmony always rules, people who are meant to be together
do not always find each other.
“Turkey” is a
cheerful and ironic song about a boy who was scared of a turkey cock as
he was little. When he first fell in love and the girl didn’t share his
feelings he suffered a lot. But years went by, his passion went down,
and now he thinks of the girl’s rejection as ironically as of his fear
of the turkey cock. The image of the turkey cock is meant by the 7/8
measure, and the harsh sound of the main theme is supposed to remind of
the turkey cock’s shrill.
“I am polite with modern life…”
talks about a discord between the personality and the world around him.
When he was a young man he dreamed of honor and valor, but these dreams
never came true, and the man is sadly looking back at them.
In
“Pre-Memory”, the man is looking for peace in his heart. His life
is full of events and activities, but he wants to think all this is a
dream and he hopes to find himself an Indian peacefully resting alone by
the river.
“You and I”. Here
the poet (“I”) opposes himself against the society (“you”). He doesn’t
want to live a common life. The poet doesn’t care about ranks and
credits. He is happy to feel free. This song is the musical climax and
the sense essence of the album. If the sixth sense is an ability to feel
God, then feeling spiritually free is one of its most important
features.
“I haven’t lived, I’ve suffered through it…”
is the album’s epilogue. It’s a monologue of a man who is thinking with
pity about his love and attachment to worldly things. In the last lines,
he challenges all of us to seek God’s standards.
Was this new album recorded differently compared to your previous
albums?
This album is recorded in
the same way, on the same equipment and in the same place. Yet, we tried
to find a little different sound, as the material required it, that’s
why it sounds cleaner and clearer.
How has the album been received so far?
The CD came out
just recently, so at this point, it’s difficult to say which place it
will take among our other projects. As for me as the author, I am not
100% satisfied with the sound quality. In our next album, we tried to
avoid these faults.
Do you think the group has progressed over the years, and in retrospect,
which albums do you see as the best expressing your artistic and
aesthetic concepts?
I hope that my best albums
are yet to come. The band is certainly improving, both technically and
conceptually. In the last year, we had an opportunity to buy new
instruments and equipment – of course, it has an impact on the sound
quality. For example, in our newest album I play the real Minimoog
Voyager…
How would you characterize Little Tragedies’ state
at present?
The band lives in a constant
search. We are just learning to express our musical thoughts, and the
deeper the thought is the harder it is to communicate it clearly. What
comes first is not the affected virtuosity and super-high quality
equipment, but that the music should sound right and touch people’s
hearts. I think rock culture can’t stew in its own juice – it must rely
heavily on the classic music tradition.
How do you expect your music to develop in the future?
I think, in the nearest
future the band will follow the same direction and keep its personality.
I assume the music will develop towards a blending of genres and easy
sound. I also think that the music of the last decade aims not as much
to surprise the audience, but to enrich it in a spiritual way. I see it
in the tendency to use elements of worship in the works of contemporary
composers and bands. It’s a very good trend, and Little Tragedies
totally support it.
Are there any other projects you are working on right now?
We have just recorded an
album to the verses of 8-12th Century Chinese poets in their
Russian translation. We called it simply “Chinese Songs” and
expect MALS to release it next year. We continue working on the
instrumental suite “Scenes from the Gospel”. I wish we had time
to record Symphony 1 and 2, the “Magic Shop” ballet, etc. We
played a concert in August. At the moment, the band is in an excellent
concert shape, and we would gladly perform at other places, for example,
festivals. I have many solo recordings I have done in the last few years
without thinking if they are ever going to be released.
A
final question: What activities outside music does each of you pursue?
Right now the situation is
that each one of us has a job that luckily for us has to do with music.
It provides our daily bread and allows us to buy musical instruments.
Well Gennady, thanks for
your time and the interview.
Anything you would like to add for our readers?
Simply listen to good
classic music. It gives a lot of food for your mind. It will help you to
understand Little Tragedies’ music, too.
www.littletragedies.com
Nucleus interview: 08/10/06
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