Ready to Rach at Mechanics Hall.

AuthorDuckett, Richard
PositionLiving

Byline: Richard Duckett

New Haven Symphony Orchestra -- with Ilya Yakushev, piano

When: 8 p.m. May 17. Pre-concert talk 7 p.m.

Where: Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester

How much: $49; $15 students; $5 youths 18 and younger. (508) 754-3231; www.musicworcester.org.

Russian pianist Ilya Yakushev had a memorable Mechanics Hall debut when he appeared with the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Keith Lockhart in 2010.

The Worcester Telegram & Gazette review of his performance of Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. 1 described Yakushev, who was not yet 30, "fire-walking up and down the keyboard and ultimately yanking the audience to a standing, cheering ovation.''

The musical sparks can be expected to fly again when Yakushev returns to Mechanics Hall May 17, this time with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. Yakushev will be performing Sergey Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, a work of lyrical eloquence, as well as sparkling bravura passages.

"Rach Two'' is very popular and well-loved, which can pose a challenge for the pianist taking it on afresh, Yakushev acknowledged during a recent telephone interview from New York City, which has been his principal residence since arriving there as a student in 2000.

"Every time you play this piece you know it was done a million times before. But just like every human being is different, so every performance is different,'' Yakushev said.

Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) dedicated the concerto to his therapist, so you know there are some emotions to be worked out. "He had experienced depression. He was extremely thankful (it was over),'' Yakushev said.

While he knows of Rachmaninoff's experiences (coincidentally, the Russian Rachmaninoff settled in the United States), Yakushev said his own also come into play when performing a work. His playing of "Rach Two'' is different now from when he was a little younger, he said. "I can't describe it with words. I'm just feeling some parts differently. The life experiences you go through open you to things in music. The more life experiences you have, the more you apply them to your playing.''

Yakushev is performing with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra for the first time. Also on the program for Saturday's concert -- presented by Music Worcester Inc. -- is another adored and sensational work, Hector Berlioz's almost hallucinogenic "Symphonie fantastique.''

The New Haven Symphony, which is celebrating its 120th year, is one of the oldest continuous running orchestras in the...

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