Denise and I just returned from seeing Kurt Masur conduct the New York Philharmonic in a performance of what some call the finest piece of classical music ever written, the St. Matthew Passion. Lest that seem too urbane, a few nights before I saw 10,000 BC, the most historically inaccurate screenplay ever written (it should be retitled 15,000-2000 BC). That should restore my plebe cred.
At the close of the performance, the crowd was beside itself for Masur. His response to the applause was to lift up Bach's score and point to it. This was a fitting gesture, as Bach too was deferring in his Passion, musically lifting up Matthew's gospel, and pointing to it. Matthew, of course, is up to the same in his gospel, lifting up the Christ through prose, and pointing.
Masur to Bach to Matthew to Christ. Why stop short?