Virtuoso Pianist, Ilya Yakushev, Mesmerizes… Again

BAY COUNTY, FL - Virtuoso Pianist, Ilya Yakushev, astounded and mesmerized once again, with another unforgettable performance of the highest caliber.  This guest artist is one of the best young pianists today, and his performance on January 11th was met with a standing ovation.  He was center stage on the piano after the Intermission, accompanied by the Panama City Symphony Orchestra (PCSO), performing Sergei Rachmaninoff’s thirty-three (33) minute long Piano Concerto, No. 2.

Yakushev is very entertaining to watch.  His whole body is involved, not just his arms, as he tears up the keyboard over the entire range of 88 keys.  His agile fingers move so fast that they can’t be followed by the human eye and his hands cross over each other as they play separate melodies.  He makes performing appear effortless, as if he is one with the piano, and looks away from the keyboard much of the time, using no written music.  When playing with the left hand, he would occasionally throw his right hand behind him.  He would turn his whole body to face the orchestra, being fully attentive to them during piano breaks.  He occasionally smiled and threw his head back with delight.

Yakushev received his first award at age twelve (12) as a prizewinner of the Young Artists Concerto Competition in his native St. Petersburg, Russia.  In 1997, he received the Mayor of St. Petersburg’s Young Talents award, and in both 1997 and 1998, he won First Prize at the Donostia Hiria International Piano Competition in San Sebastian, Spain. In 1998, he received a national honor, The Award for Excellence in Performance, presented to him by the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation in Moscow. Most recently, Yakushev became a recipient of the prestigious Gawon International Music Society’s Award in Seoul, Korea.

Yakushev attended the Rimsky-Korsakov College of Music in his native St. Petersburg, Russia, and subsequently came to New York City to attend Mannes College of Music where he studied with legendary pianist Vladimir Feltsman.

Yakushev is a Yamaha artist.

Last year, Yakushev delighted the audience under the Rotunda at City Hall, with 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. 

The audience can hardly wait for him to come back again!  Bravo!