Host Destiny Mermagen visits with University of Kansas piano student Jair Zacarias and instructor Priscila Navarro. Jair played Liszt's Reminiscences de Norma and spoke of his winning the KU piano concerto competition, just two weeks before today's performance at KPR. He will soon be rehearsing for an engagement with the KU Symphony and appearing next year.
We also chat about the upcoming KU Piano Day, which is held on the 88th day of year, for 88 keys on a full-size piano, which is March 28 and 29th. The event is hosted by David Allen Wehr and the KU Latin America Music Festival in March.
Jair Zacarias performs for us Franz Liszt’s Reminiscences de Norma, a dazzling and virtuosic piano transcription based on themes from Vincenzo Bellini’s opera Norma. This piece stands as a remarkable example of Liszt’s genius in transforming operatic melodies into a piano showpiece that both honors the original work and showcases the pianist’s technical prowess.
Jair really gets our Steinway rocking, literally! I've never seen it move and shake like that. It was quite something to behold.
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