ILYA YAKUSHEV

These concerts are generously sponsored by Judy and Hank Hummelt.

SUN, MAR 23, 2025
4:00PM / Lincoln Performance Hall, PSU

“insistence, delight, a promenade”

Prepare for a recital that doesn’t just showcase music but offers a journey that will leave your soul richer. Back by popular demand, acclaimed Russian pianist Ilya Yakushev brings his unparalleled energy and poetic depth to Portland Piano International in a program designed to move you profoundly.

The afternoon unfolds with Mozart’s Fantasy in D Minor, K. 397, a piece that feels like an intimate conversation between the composer and the listener. Suspended between shadow and light, its haunting opening unfurls with an almost improvisatory freedom, drawing you into a world of mystery before resolving in a whisper of elegance.

Yakushev then ignites the stage with Beethoven’s fiery “Pathétique” Sonata. Through its stormy drama and tender lyricism, he channels Beethoven’s genius for capturing the raw complexities of human emotion—one moment restless and fierce, the next whispering serenity directly into your heart.

Prokofiev’s spirited Sonata No. 2 follows, its rhythms bursting with life and its melodies intertwining charm and wit. The music dances with an infectious vitality, beckoning the audience to revel in its unstoppable energy.

The recital crescendos with Mussorgsky’s monumental Pictures at an Exhibition, a suite that takes you on an extraordinary journey through soundscapes so vivid, they feel like living artworks. With every passage, Yakushev transforms the piano into a storyteller, each note painting scenes that seem to leap off the keys and into your imagination.


MOZART

Fantasy in D minor, K. 397

BEETHOVEN

Sonata No. 8 in C minor, op. 13,

“Pathetique”

PROKOFIEV

Sonata No. 2, op. 14

MUSSORGSKY

Pictures at an Exhibition

  • Box Office

    Buy Tickets Online

    Seating Map (PDF)

    We participate in the Arts for All ticketing discount program. Student tickets, $10.

    Questions? Call (503) 228-1388
    or email robin@portlandpiano.org.

    Lincoln Performance Hall at Portland State University

    1620 SW Park Ave (at Market St.)
    Portland, OR 97201

    Driving Directions | Trimet Directions

    Parking is available nearby in PSU Parking Structure 2, diagonally across the street from Lincoln Hall. However, there is a parking fee. Please visit the kiosk at the entrance and have your license plate number handy. Park in the areas marked "Permit Parking Only".

    For more information about parking and Lincoln Performance Hall, call our office at 503.228.1388. Office hours are Monday through Thursday 9am - 4pm.

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  • PRE-CONCERT LECTURE: Arrive early to the concert and listen to an insightful pre-concert lecture given by Bill Crane, executive director, and Amelia De Vaal, Resident Musicologist — 3:15 PM (Sunday).

    PROGRAM NOTES: Get a start on learning about this program by reading the program notes.

GET TO KNOW ILYA YAKUSHEV

NATIONALITY:

Russian-American

HOME:

Whitehouse Station, New Jersey

WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION TO CREATE MUSIC?

I find inspiration in my family. There is nothing more important to me and without them I would not be able to create.

WHICH FIELD OF STUDY—OUTSIDE OF MUSIC—INFLUENCES YOUR MUSIC-MAKING THE MOST?

I can say with confidence that it is always a mix of many things - poetry, philosophy, architecture, etc. I can’t say that they influence my playing, but they help me understand what the composer wants to say at times.

DESCRIBE A ROUTINE YOU HAVE IN PLACE THAT HELPS YOU LIVE A HEALTHIER LIFE.

First of all, a healthy eating routine is a must while I am not on the road. It is different when you travel, sometimes you don’t even have a choice of what to consume. Working out, when possible, is of course a useful thing.