Han, Stern and Blumenthal to perform the Rhythm of Latin dance with classical twist at Scout Hall Friday

Scout Hall will be hosting a unique recital Friday night, Dec. 6, called Ritmo Elegante: A Celebration of Latin Dance Music with a Classical Touch.

The evening will take the audience on a musical journey showcasing the interplay of violin, saxophone, and piano played by Sophia Han, Zach Stern, and Richard Blumenthal, respectively.

The performance will start at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. at 420 Broadway in Cape Girardeau.

The program will open with Astor Piazzolla’s "Histoire du Tango", where the ensemble with take the audience through time in the evolution of tango across decades. Telling a story by the different movements reflecting styles from the early 1900s, the 1930s and the 1960s.

Stern said the centerpiece of the recital is dance and that is shown by the first choice.

“Everything on the program is dance-related, for the most part. Most of them happen to be, like, I guess South American, kind of like Argentinian tango. But others are not necessarily strictly South American dances like that, but that's kind of the main theme,” Stern said.

Astor Piazzolla’s piece "Histoire du Tango" was originally written for flute and guitar, but Stern has arranged for it to be violin, saxophone and piano. Many of the pieces they will play will have been arranged from the original form to instead use violin, saxophone and piano in different pairings.

“I think violin, saxophone and piano is a relatively new collaborative instrumentation group, so we're always discovering new things to play. Whether it's music written for clarinet, violin and piano that we can transcribe for saxophone or sometimes music is written a certain way, like a composer because that's what instruments were available, but sometimes it could work better on a saxophone,” Han said.

This will be the first time Han, Stern and Blumenthal have done a trio together despite playing in pairs before. For the performance, the group has focused on individual rehearsing and learning the other’s parts through listening because of the long-distance collaboration with Blumenthal, who resides in Ohio, while Han and Stern live in Cape Girardeau.

“We'll have a few hours tomorrow to rehearse, and then a few hours on Friday, and then the concert is Friday evening. So, basically, a few rehearsals, two rehearsals, sound check and a concert. It’s definitely an adrenaline rush” Han said about the upcoming performance.

Han said the program was put together by choosing their favorite pieces to play, making it hard to choose an ultimate favorite for her, but Stern said he would pick "Histoir du Tango".

The last piece the trio will perform will be "Czardas" by Vittorio Monti. The Hungarian piece, originally for violin and piano, has been arranged for the trio’s performance. Stern said it’s fast, flashy and fun and as a trio, they get a kick out of playing it.

By the end of the night, Han hopes the audiences see the versatility of the instruments and enjoy the evening.

“Really, I just want people to have fun and come enjoy this, like, different mesh of timbres, that you don't normally see, collaborating together on a concert. And just, you know, enjoy the sounds,” Han said.

Han and Stern are a married couple who have traveled nationally performing in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee. They are also both faculty at Southeast Missouri State University, with Han as an associate professor of violin and viola and Stern as an instructor of music as well as teaching saxophone at SEMO and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Blumenthal is a collaborative pianist. His career includes roles as music director, repetiteur, and pianist for institutions such as Middle Tennessee State University, Louisiana State University and Nickel City Opera.

The purchase tickets, visit https://www.thescouthall.com.