Name: Ilya Yakushev, piano
Start: Thursday, November 30, 2023, at 7:30 PM
End: Nov 30, 2023 10:00 PM
Location: Armstrong Auditorium, Herbert W. Armstrong College

PERFORMING ARTS SERIES | 2023-24 SEASON

Thursday, November 30, 2023, at 7:30 PM

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Rachmaninoff, Mussorgsky, Gershwin

TRIPLE-ANNIVERSARY: Rachmaninoff, Mussorgsky, Gershwin

Russian pianist Ilya Yakushev is one of most awarded artists of his generation, with no less than seven international awards and three first prizes to his credit, including First Prize at the 2005 World Piano Competition. The 2023-24 season marks the 150th anniversary of Rachmaninoff’s birth, the 150th anniversary of Mussorgsky’s beloved piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition, and the 100th anniversary of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” This dashing piano phenom will perform all three on Armstrong’s magnificent Steinway.

PROGRAM

W. A. Mozart (1756-1791)
Fantasia in D minor, K.397

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)
Prelude in G sharp minor, Op. 32, No.12
Prelude in G minor, Op. 23 No.5, Alla marcia
Prelude in C sharp minor, Op. 3, No.2

George Gershwin (1898-1937)
Rhapsody in Blue

Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881)
Pictures at an Exhibition
1. Promenade
2. Gnomus (The Gnome)
3. Promenade
4. Il vecchio castello (The Old Castle)
5. Promenade
6. Tuileries (Dispute d'enfants après jeux) (Tuileries [Quarrel between Children after Playing])
7. Bydlo (Cattle]
8. Promenade
9. Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks
10. Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle
11. Promenade
12. Limoges, le marché (La grande nouvelle) (The Marketplace at Limoges [The Great News])
13. Catacombae, sepulchrum romanum (Catacombs, Roman sepulcher)
14. Con mortuis in lingua mortua (With the Deadm in a Dead Language)
15. The Hut on Hen's Legs
16. The Great Gate of Kiev

ALL PROGRAMS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

“Mr. Yakushev can do anything he wants.”

New York Times

“... astonishing ... [he] single-handedly turned the festival into something unforgettable.”

San Francisco Chronicle

“... prodigious technical skill and refined musicality. ... a compelling and stunning performance that brought the audience to its feet, applauding and shouting.”

Telegram & Gazette

“Saturday night, pianist Ily Yakushev tore up the keyboard and lifted the audience onto its collective feet with a bravura performance of one of the toughest concerti (Prokofiev 2nd) in the repertoire.”

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette