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Alabama Symphony Orchestra reaches a Beethoven benchmark
by Michael Huebner
Sunday September 07, 2008, 6:19 AM
DETAILS
What: Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Wagner's "Die Meistersinger" Prelude, Brahms' Violin Concerto in D, Beethoven's Symphony No. 7. Justin Brown, conductor; Augustin Hadelich, violinist.
When: Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $12-$65. Call 251-7727. More information at www.alabamasymphony.org.
Where: Jemison Concert Hall, 1200 10th Ave. South.
Concert Comments: Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., Reynolds-Kirschbaum Recital Hall.
COFFEE CONCERT
What: Wagner's "Die Meistersinger" Prelude, Beethoven, Symphony No. 7. Justin Brown, conductor.
When: Friday, 11 a.m.
Tickets: $15.
Where: Jemison Concert Hall, 1200 10th Ave. South.
ASO OPENER PROMISES PLENTY OF ROMANTIC SPARKS
ASO's quest to perform all nine symphonies in sight this season
After two years at helm of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Justin Brown has realized two thirds of a quest.
"If we take ourselves seriously as a symphony orchestra, we need to know where we stand with Beethoven," he said in January, 2006, eight months before he began as music director and vowed to perform all nine symphonies in three years. "Not in order, and it doesn't have to be three a year. But we should do them all."
Symphony No. 7 is next up next weekend at the 2008-09 Masterworks opener.
"I like to think that we've established ourselves as a Beethoven orchestra," Brown says. "That's more than I'd hoped we would achieve. It has absolutely exceeded my expectations. It's a quite small orchestra, and I still have the same ambition for it to be bigger, but as we are now -- a 54-piece orchestra -- it's important that we center ourselves on this repertoire, which was written for our size orchestra."
Continue reading "Alabama Symphony Orchestra reaches a Beethoven benchmark" »
Post a comment | View commentsArt Captures Horror
by James R. Nelson -- Birmingham News
Sunday September 07, 2008, 6:16 AM
Rob Matthews: Knoxville Girl and Christopher Davison: Darkness/Light/Darkness. Sarah Moody Gallery of Art, University of Alabama. Through Sept. 21.
A nightmarish tale of partying gone bad is told in Rob Matthews' "Knoxville Girl," an update of an Appalachian folk ballad. The exhibit at the University of Alabama's Sarah Moody Gallery of Art.
Dining Review: Chinese-American passes Olympic test
by Tom Gaskin -- Birmingham News
Friday September 05, 2008, 6:21 AM
10 years and going strong, P.F. Chang's still a Summit favorite
Click here to see Second Helpings: A Quick Look Back at Past Dining Reviews
[P.F. Chang's, 
233 Summit Blvd., 967-0040.]
Taylor Hicks and his harmonica have made 'Grease!' groovy
by Mary Colurso -- Birmingham News
Friday September 05, 2008, 6:24 AM
The hair's a little poufy, but that's definitely Taylor Hicks in "Grease!""An insider says Hicks is worth at least $150,000 in extra ticket sales a week," columnist Mike Riedel has said. "Whenever Hicks whips out his harmonica, the audience goes nuts. They're having such a blast that the 'Grease' megamix at the end of the show -- this is where the critics ran screaming from the theater -- now runs 10 minutes, with Hicks singing the title song and then playing it on his harmonica."
That's no surprise to the Soul Patrol, a group of enthusiasts who discovered the gray-haired soul singer on "American Idol." They've followed Hicks' career, and cheered his accomplishments, ever since he won the crown in 2006.
Meantime, producers for "Grease!" must be hoping to extend the "Idol" worship. They've hired singer Ace Young, another veteran of the reality series, for the role of Kenickie. He joins the cast on Tuesday.
Continue reading "Taylor Hicks and his harmonica have made 'Grease!' groovy" »
Missing Cledus
by Lawrence Specker
Thursday September 04, 2008, 7:47 AM
Jerry Reed: 1937-2008
"I don't think my dog bit you, mister. 'Cause Fred definitely don't like grease."
Fans of Jerry Reed, and of that classic of American cinema titled, "Smokey and the Bandit," will remember the line well. Reed's Cledus Snow didn't get many of the film's best lines, but he said what he had to say with absolute conviction -- and with humor, even when he knew it was going to cost him.
10 bands / 1 chance to play at Big Spring Jam
by The Huntsville Tims
Thursday August 21, 2008, 9:22 AM
Many local bands dream of playing at Big Spring Jam.
On Saturday night, one will win the chance - with their friends cheering them on.
WZYP and Railroad Bazaar are hosting a Battle of the Bands Saturday night at the Von Braun Center's South Hall 2.
Review: Grid
by
Jeremy Crowson -- Birmingham News
Sunday September 07, 2008, 2:07 PM
Ah, night races in Grid. These are unnerving and too realistic at times. In both Midnight Touge and LeMans 24 Hour you tend to over-run your headlights, which makes you want to slow down to see the turns coming, lest you eat a guard rail. The A.I. drivers, however, seem to have night vision goggles and don't slow a lick. Very frustrating. Images courtesy of Codemasters.You want to be a race car driver? Build a team and rule the world in Grid, where beautiful graphics, awesome crashes and movie-quality replays blend with a sometimes frustrating driving experience to give you a tire-smoking good time. This is arcade-style racing at its finest. Drive muscle cars, tuner cars, exotics, and even a demolition derby beater. Just don't expect it to feel real.
KEEP READING THE REVIEW!
Videos in Play -- 09.07.2008
by The Birmingham News
Sunday September 07, 2008, 6:21 AM
Watch Thom Gossom Jr. talk about his memoir, "Walk-On," about his life as a football player at Auburn University:
Continue reading "Videos in Play -- 09.07.2008" »Pianists from Brazil, Russia, China add world-class artistry to UAB series
by Michael Huebner
Sunday September 07, 2008, 6:20 AM
The UAB Piano Series will contribute three virtuosos to an already generous lineup of keyboard soloists coming to Birmingham in 2008-09.
Already booked on other series around town are Leon Fleisher, Terence Wilson, Anne-Marie McDermott, Drew Mays and Jon Nakamatsu. To those, series organizer Yakov Kasman has engaged more pianists with enviable resumes.
Jose Feghali kicks off the UAB Piano Series with a Nov. 9 performance.Feb. 17, 7 p.m. Nikolai Lugansky. The 36-year-old Russian pianist and teacher at the Moscow Conservatory has produced a flurry of recordings in the last few years, with Chopin and Rachmaninoff high on his play list. Collaborators include conductors Kurt Masur, Christoph Eschenbach, Leonard Slatkin and Neeme Jarvi, and violinist Vadim Repin and Joshua Bell.
March 22, 4 p.m. Tian Ying. A native of China, the University of Miami faculty pianist has been profiled in the New York Times, Christian Science Monitor and People magazine. He has soloed widely with American orchestras and given recitals on four continents.
The recitals will be held at Reynolds-Kirschbaum Recital Hall on the UAB campus. Tickets for each event are $15, $5 for students. A package for all three performances is $30. Call 975-2787.
Continue reading "Pianists from Brazil, Russia, China add world-class artistry to UAB series" »Art Captures Horror
by James R. Nelson -- Birmingham News
Sunday September 07, 2008, 6:16 AM
Rob Matthews: Knoxville Girl and Christopher Davison: Darkness/Light/Darkness. Sarah Moody Gallery of Art, University of Alabama. Through Sept. 21.
A nightmarish tale of partying gone bad is told in Rob Matthews' "Knoxville Girl," an update of an Appalachian folk ballad. The exhibit at the University of Alabama's Sarah Moody Gallery of Art.
A Reluctant Pioneer
by Bob Carlton -- Birmingham News
Sunday September 07, 2008, 6:16 AM
Birmingham native Thom Gossom Jr. pens memoir about life as a walk-on football player at Auburn
Thirty years later after that magical, miraculous 1972 season, Thom Gossom Jr. came back to Auburn University for a reunion of "The Amazins," that overachieving bunch that Ralph "Shug" Jordan called his favorite Auburn football team.
Gossom, a Birmingham native, had gone away to California to become an actor and hadn't been back to Auburn in several years.
At the reunion, he caught a glimpse of an old teammate, the same teammate who used to taunt Gossom with racial slurs almost every day at practice.
Forced Labor Kept Slavery Alive
by Rahkia Nance -- Birmingham News
Sunday September 07, 2008, 6:15 AM
"Slavery By Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II," by Douglas A. Blackmon. Doubleday. $29.95
Imagine being arrested for a bogus charge, fined and then forced to work off the debt in a coal mine. The debts however, are never paid. Law enforcement agencies have colluded with big businesses and farmers to supply cheap labor in exchange for big payoffs.
In the book "Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II," author Douglas A. Blackmon explores this system that existed in the South.
Authors On Tour
by Birmingham News features staff
Sunday September 07, 2008, 6:13 AM
Jana Kohl
Sun 2 p.m. Barnes & Noble, 201 Summit Blvd., Suite 100, Birmingham. Signing "A Rare Breed of Love." 298-0665.
Mary Monroe
Tue 7 p.m. Books-A-Million, Wildwood, 140 Wildwood Parkway, Birmingham. Signing "She Had it Coming." 942-4220. www.booksamillion.com
Paul Hemphill
Tue 6 p.m. Alabama Booksmith, 2626 19th Place South, Homewood. Signing "A Tiger Walk Through History: The Complete Story of Auburn Football from 1892 to the Tuberville Era." 870-4242. www.alabamabooksmith.com
Thom Gossom
Thu 6:30-8:30 p.m. Zamirs Event Center, 1624 Bessemer Road, Ensley. Signing "Walk-On." Proceeds will help endow an academic scholarship at Auburn University. 919-8349.
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UPCOMING BIRMINGHAM EVENTS
- "Darkness Into Life: Alabama Holocaust Survivors Through Photography and Art" - 09/08/08
- Fall Swim Lessons - 09/08/08
- Ted Whisenhunt - 09/08/08
- Dan Bynum and Nelson Grice - 09/08/08
- Barbara Prior - 09/08/08
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