'Rhapsody in Blue' - Ilya Yakushev, Piano

Del Valle Fine Arts concludes its 44th season by presenting dynamic Russian pianist Ilya Yakushev in the Bankhead Theater. At age 12, he was a prizewinner in the Young Artists Concerto Competition in his native St. Petersburg. He has won numerous competitions including the 2005 World Piano Competition in Cincinnati and has performed worldwide with famed orchestras and venues such as Carnegie and Davies Symphony Halls. His performance will honor Rachmaninoff’s 150th Birthday and the 100th anniversary of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue”. Yakushev's program includes Mozart’s Fantasia in D minor, three preludes by Rachmaninoff, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Yakushev composed a special slide show to accompany his performance of "Pictures at an Exhibition", showing the artwork depicted in the music. Meet the pianist at the complimentary reception following the performance.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1719-1787)
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