Steven Carter

Bruges Cathedral Window

Detail of a stained-glass window in Bruges also known as the medieval music capital of Europe.

Jesus looks wistful—with a touch of anger in His eyes (the kinder, gentler Jesus of 14th century statuary hadn’t arrived yet). Still, the expression brings to my mind not a savior but a jilted lover, turning His head as the inamorata walks off having whispered her good-byes. Of course when skies are cloudy the secular effect is more pronounced.

. . . Now He’s alone, with no one—not even Mary Magdalene—to render comfort. An eternal captive of beautiful glass, He represents every bereft male and female, orphans of the heart booking passage to an asteroid christened Eros.

Kyrie—
a cello’s sour note
From the beginning, please