December 9, 2006
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Mediterraneo: From Byzantium to Iberia
WHAT kind of music were you likely to hear if you lived,
worked, and traveled around the complex and multicultural world of Byzantium?
What instruments would you be playing and hearing as you traveled? And just
as important, what would you eat? If you were a musician, you'd have to be
well
versed in a variety of musical styles and be able to play more than one
instrument.
And you'd have to be open-minded about food.
Join the Baroque Northwest Quartet and special guest
Karen Elizabeth Urlie,
soprano,
as we take a musical, cultural, and culinary tour around the Mediterranean.
You'll be transported by classical music of the Medieval, Renaissance, and
Baroque from France, Italy, and Spain. You'll also be treated to
traditional music
from the Ottoman Empire, including Albania and Bulgaria, and from the
Spanish-Sephardic,
Greek, Arab-Andalusian, Macedonian, Ladino, and Middle Eastern regions of
the planet.
But what about the food? Our pre-concert event features
Jim Molnar, who will give a talk about cuisine of the
Mediterranean,
with a few recipes in the concert program. Mr. Molnar is a writer, editor
and photographer
currently at work on both nonfiction and fiction manuscripts. His
nearly three decades of
work in daily journalism ranged from investigative and political reporting
to news-feature
writing and editing. Locally, Jim might be best known for "The Thoughtful
Traveler" column
during his 15 years with The Seattle Times travel section as writer, editor
and essayist.
In the years since he first learned about food and cooking from his
grandmother, a respected
Hungarian cook in Cleveland, Jim's fascination for food history and lore has
grown into
something of an avocation and practice. Outside his home kitchen, he cooks
occasionally
for fund-raisers and regularly as