[ a +e ] Band to supply music from Down Under to symphony Joel Thomas Lantern reporter thomas.2437@osu.edu The Columbus Symphony Orchestra is making room for two more performers this weekend when it kicks off its annual Pop Series. Australian band Air Supply is scheduled to perform 8 p.m. Saturday with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra at the Ohio Theatre. The duo, comprised of guitarist Graham Russell and lead vocalist Russell Hitchcock, met on May 12, 1975, and has been honing a career in music ever since. The band has had seven Australian top-five singles, some of which include songs “All Out of Love,� “Lost in Love� and “The One That You Love.� “The first part of the show will be a variety of music played by the symphony alone,� said Tom Battenburg, acting principal trumpet for Columbus Symphony Orchestra. “The second half with Air Supply will be mellow love songs.� Battenburg said the orchestra will start out the concert with a piece written for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth and wrap up the show with a more complex piece. “Our last piece is a demonstration piece that includes a narrator pointing out each section of the orchestra who then plays a bit,� he said. Founded in 1951, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra is the longestrunning professional orchestra in Central Ohio. Its music is expected to be heard by more than 175,000 people this season, according to a press release. The symphony has a Masterworks series, which has 12
performances and runs from October to May, and a Pops Series, comprised of six performances between October and April, Battenburg said, adding the Pops Series performances always feature a guest artist. Air Supply has toured nearly worldwide, performing from China and Taiwan to the United States. And Saturday won’t mark the first time the band has played with an orchestra. “We’ve had many shows with an orchestra. Sydney Opera House, Nashville, New York, all over the place,� Hitchcock said. “We only rehearse for 15 to 20 minutes before the show. We’re dealing with professional musicians of high caliber so that makes it a lot easier.� Russell said the high caliber won’t alter Air Supply’s performance too much though because it still wants to cater to its fans. “Obviously we will be playing songs that fans are familiar with, but we will also be playing three or four songs people haven’t heard. This will give something new for the people that are willing to come,� Russell said. “We have a few new guys in the band. Every time we add someone new, they bring something entirely different to the picture that makes for a great performance.� Kyle Bergman, a second-year in mathematics, said he’s heard a few songs by Air Supply. “I wouldn’t personally pay to see them, but I can see how they would put on a good show with the orchestra,� Bergman said. “I have gone to see the orchestra before and it was a good show. I would recommend going to see it.� Tickets for the show start at $25 and can be purchased at the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts ticket center or through Ticketmaster. The Ohio Theatre ticket office is scheduled to be open two hours prior to each performance.
Courtesy of Luck Media & Marketing, Inc.
Air Supply is scheduled to perform with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra Oct. 6 at Ohio Theatre as part of the orchestra’s annual Pop Series.
BOOK REVIEW
‘The Casual Vacancy’ opens up another outlet for J.K. Rowling to continue writing success Matt Borcas Lantern reporter borcas.1@osu.edu
Courtesy of MCT
J.K. Rowling’s new novel ‘The Casual Vacancy’ released Sept. 27.
In interviews prior to the release of her new novel “The Casual Vacancy,� J.K. Rowling, author of the “Harry Potter� series, acknowledged that she had contemplated publishing the highly anticipated debut for adult readers under a pen name. Ultimately, using a pseudonym would have stifled awareness of the book and most likely robbed countless “Harry Potter� fans who would purchase it because of her name from another spellbinding literary experience. My overarching reaction to “The Casual Vacancy� is thankfulness. After seven transcendent “Harry Potter� novels, eight accompanying movies, garnering her a net worth greater than the Queen of England, the last thing Rowling could’ve been expected to do was churn out a more than 500-page novel on top of all that.
Much like “Harry Potter,� the story pulls you in fast, brimming with many of the same themes Harry, Ron and Hermione confronted on a daily basis - the ambiguity of right and wrong, clueless adults and gossip mongering. However, “The Casual Vacancy� is not merely a dark comedy, as it’s been billed, but a seriously black glimpse into the disintegrating core of the small town of Pagford, following the death of parish council member Barry Fairbrother. The death of one of Pagford’s few good men leaves the town vulnerable to the malicious policymakers jousting for his vacant position. Rowling’s prose is less “Nitwit,� “Blubber,� “Oddment,� “Tweak� and more “F---,� “S---,� “C---,� “B----� delivered with surprising nonchalance. Adolescent fornication and heroin addiction replace Quidditch matches and Hogsmeade visits. Toward the middle, the novel drags on slower than a double potions class. This rings particularly true in one chapter, which
E ateries in Review
Szechuan-style Chinese restaurant leaves appetites in good Fortune Hong Fan Lantern reporter fan.178@osu.edu
&91*3&4
6A
Hong Fan / Lantern photographer
Fortune, located at 2869 Olentangy River Road, serves pork with garlic sauce and Szechun fish with bean curd and a complimentary bowl of steamed rice for $11. Our stomachs were left in good fortune when we finished our meals, each of which cost $11. Despite the food being a little pricey for my taste, the Szechuanstyle dishes are authentic and worth trying. Fortune is located at 2869 Olentangy River Road.
&91*3&4
Chichester from 5A prerecorded karaoke thing, it’s this excitement of a tightrope walker that could fall at any minute,� Chichester said. Jacob Wooten, who works at Kobo, said Chichester has played there before and draws a “different� kind of crowd. “Happy’s a legend, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a really eclectic crowd with a bunch of different demographics,� Wooten said. Chichester, who has lived in Columbus since he was 9 years old, said he enjoys playing at Kobo and other smaller venues around the city. “I love the musical community in Columbus, which includes not only the talented and generous musicians, but also the community of music and fan support, which is sometimes overlooked,� Chichester said. “Coming back from a tour, you realize not every city has that.� Moldover, who lives in New York, also said that playing in smaller cities is more appealing to him. “It’s more fun to play small towns because people there are so much more enthusiastic,� Moldover said. “I’m excited to bring this thing I do to people who may have never seen it before. There’s something new and current and relevant about the stuff we’re doing.� Kobo is located at 2590 N. High St. Tickets for the show are $5 at the door for ages 21 and up and $7 for ages 18 to 20.
Grade: A
Judging something on appearance is not right, but it happens to Fortune, a Chinese restaurant. The restaurant, with its simple, even ratty exterior and location at 2869 Olentangy River Road, is often overlooked by passersby. But in my experience with Fortune, the restaurant has much more to offer on the inside than out. After walking through a long entry way, a waiter cheerfully guided my friend and me to a booth. The atmosphere was welcoming and relaxing, but the dÊcor was drab and the lights were a little dim. A Szechuan-style Chinese restaurant, Fortune’s menu has a heavy focus on spicy dishes and offers Thai food. Sifting through the expansive food list, my friend and I had a hard time deciding what to order because all the dishes sounded tasty based on their brief descriptions. We ended up ordering pork with garlic sauce and Szechuan fish with bean curd. A complimentary bowl of steamed rice also came with our meals. After about a 10-minute wait, we got our first dish. The shredded, tender pork was flavorful, and the crunchy celery and water chestnuts complemented it well. Although the dish was good in the sense that it blended different flavors of sweet, sour, salty and spicy, its appearance was not as appetizing as its taste. Next came the fish with bean curd. Silken tofu cubes and filet fish swamped in chili oil and sprinkled with minced Szechuan peppercorns, it was a mouthwatering, mildly spicy dish.
expounds upon the history of Pagford’s property lines in excruciating detail. In this sense, Rowling is a victim of her own success. She’s especially clever at describing the intricacies of the world in which her characters operate, which in large part, is what made the “Harry Potter� series so enthralling. Alas, the trivialities of the Muggleverse aren’t quite as interesting. Eventually, “The Casual Vacancy� regains its footing. Reading the final 100 pages might be the most captivated I’ve been in a novel since “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,� the final installment of the “Harry Potter� series, hit shelves five years ago. The best part, though, was discussing the twists and turns of the plot with friends. Rowling’s work sparks a sense of community among her fans that can make reading the most rewarding experience in the world. More than anything, “The Casual Vacancy� reminded me why I spent so many days of my youth with her books.
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Friday October 5, 2012