Virtuoso Pianist, Ilya Yakushev, Mesmerizes

PANAMA CITY, FL - An astounding and mesmerizing, standing room only performance of the highest caliber, by the guest artist and virtuoso pianist, Ilya Yakushev, one of the best young pianists today, was enjoyed by all who attended a free piano recital, hosted the Panama City Symphony Orchestra (PCSO). The event, held on February 7th at City Hall, was open to the public.

Yakushev was also an entertaining speaker. He revealed that since he stays silent during all of the time that he spends in practice rooms, this was his opportunity to talk. He shared that he will be playing some of his very favorite pieces and joked that he thought today would be a free day so he could go down to the beach and enjoy the sunshine, until he looked at his contract. He commented that the contracts with Panama City sure do make you work a lot.

Yakushev first piece, “Fantasia in D Minor”, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, was composed in 1782. The original manuscript has not survived and the final 10 bars, from right after the dominant chord until the end, have been lost or were never completed by Mozart, although he composed it 8 or 9 years before his death. The most popular ending, which Yakushev played, is believed to have been written by one of Mozart’s admirers, August Eberhard Müller. Another pianist, Dame Mitsuko Uchida, wrote her own ending, similar to the piece’s beginning, rather than using Müller’s. Yakushev said that “Fantasia in D Minor” changes moods suddenly.

After completing Mozart’s piece, Yakushev said he was done with the easy stuff. The rest of the music was by Russian composers, chosen since he himself is Russian. He reminded us that the ever popular “Rhapsody in Blue,” composed by George Gershwin, is exactly 100 years old now. Yakushev is scheduled to perform his unique twist on “Rhapsody in Blue,” on February 10th, at the Gretchen Nelson Scott Fine Arts Center during the sold out PCSO "Portraits of American Freedom" concert.

The next piece, “Prelude and Nocturne for the Left Hand, Op. 9”, which proved to be immensely popular in the composer’s day, was completed over 150 years ago, by Alexander Scriabin, born in 1872. Scriabin had very small hands for a pianist, barely stretching to a ninth, and damaged his right hand through too much practice in 1891. He cultivated playing with his left hand for which he composed, in 1894, the two movements. Yakushev said it was beautiful, incredible writing and was written when Scriabin was very young, only 22 years old. Like other composers of his time, Scriabin was influenced by literature but also had his own style.

The third piece was Sergei Rachmaninoff's “Prelude in C-sharp Minor, Op. 3, No. 2”, also known as “The Bells of Moscow,” since the introduction sounds like the Kremlin’s most solemn carillon chimes. It was composed in 1892, when Rachmaninoff was a teenager of age 19. Its debut performance aroused enthusiasm and the composition became one of his most famous. He frequently played it as an encore, when it was “demanded” by the audience, who would shout, “Play It”, meaning “The Prelude.“ The score is unusual in that it uses 4 lines, 2 for the right hand and 2 for the left hand. He also put in dynamic fortes. It was printed as the second of five piano pieces included in, “Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3.”

The final suite, in ten movements, Modest Mazursky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition”, was written 150 years ago, in 1874, and is considered to be one of his greatest works. The composition has become a showpiece for virtuoso pianists. According to Yakushev, It is a musical depiction of a tour of an exhibition of over 600 works by Mazursky’s friend, Viktor Hartmann, who died suddenly during the previous year. The piano version was written prior to the orchestral version. The original solo version took 6 weeks to write which was unusual for Mazursky, whose reputation was to never finish anything on time. At a time when many romantic composers were writing music, Mazursky composed a radical, experimental piece, which bewildered many other composers. The sound he got from the instrument was probably a total shock to everyone of the day.

Prior to this piano recital, as part of his week-long residency, Yakushev shared his insight and talent with many local residents and students through the Guest Artist Outreach and Masterclasses. He visited the Mathison Retirement Community; went on to the Amelia G. Tapper Center for the Arts, Gulf Coast State College, to provide one-on-one instruction to seven students at a Masterclass, at which the students had the opportunity to perform for and gain insight from this virtuoso pianist, then; went on to Bay High School where he treated students to a performance, followed by a Q&A session.

What a busy day helping to inspire the next generation!

More about this virtuoso pianist can be found at: https://www.ilyayakushev.com/biography.html.