Category Archives: Theology

HANDEL’S MESSIAH: TWO GIFTS THIS YEAR

Experiencing the Apollo’s Fire rendition of Handel’s Messiah brought to mind the title of Rod Dreher’s important new book, Living in Wonder, because that was what was occurring to the audience, whether they realized it or not. During the performance all were living in wonder, as Beauty, a characteristic element of God’s essence, was “calling […]

December 16, 2024 – 7:50 am | By Paul Kuritz | Posted in Acting, Art, Books, from Paul, History, Music, Poetry, Quotations, The Gospel of the Kingdom, Theater, Theology, Uncategorized | Comments (0)

LAZARUS PATH: A FILM FOR OUR TIMES

Father Stephen Freeman considers Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, whom Jesus raised after four days in the tomb, to be a sign of the “universal entombment. Even before we die, we have frequently  begun to inhabit our tombs. We live our life with the doors closed (and we stink). Our hearts can be […]

October 10, 2024 – 10:55 am | By Paul Kuritz | Posted in Acting, Current Events, from Paul, Movies, Music, Quotations, The Gospel of the Kingdom, Theology, Uncategorized | Comments Off on LAZARUS PATH: A FILM FOR OUR TIMES

ELIJAH STILL SPEAKS THROUGH MENDELSSOHN’S GLORIOUS MUSIC AT CSO

  “Elijah is the peak of religious music between Beethoven’s Christ on the Mount of Olives (1802) and Wagner’s Parsifal (1882).” –Eduard Jacob Heinrich Elijah (1846), the second oratorio by Felix Mendelssohn, pays tribute  to Mendelssohn’s love and championship of the oratorios of Handel and Bach. Elijah is Mendelssohn’s reaffirmation of his Jewish heritage and […]

April 12, 2024 – 10:27 am | By Paul Kuritz | Posted in Acting, Current Events, from Paul, History, Music, Poetry, The Gospel of the Kingdom, Theater, Theology, Uncategorized | Comments Off on ELIJAH STILL SPEAKS THROUGH MENDELSSOHN’S GLORIOUS MUSIC AT CSO

The Met’s NABUCCO: Verdi’s Beautiful Prayer for those in Exile

On February 23 of last year, Naomi Wolf,  author, feminist and former advisor to Bill Clinton and Al Gore published a remarkable essay, “Have the Ancient Gods returned?” In it she quotes Jonathan Cahn’s book The Return of The Gods[i]           “Having accurately traced the lineage of pagan worship and pagan forces, Cahn makes the […]

January 11, 2024 – 1:11 pm | By Paul Kuritz | Posted in Acting, Art, Books, from Paul, History, Men and Women, Music, Opera, Poetry, Quotations, Theater, Theology | Comments Off on The Met’s NABUCCO: Verdi’s Beautiful Prayer for those in Exile

LYRIC OPERA OFFERS BREATHTAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL JENUFA

Confession, repentance, and forgiveness are in woefully short supply in today’s world. So it comes as no small pleasure to find them the bedrocks upon which Leos Janacek built his amazing opera, now wowing audiences at the Lyric Opera The Moravian composer Leos Janacek (1854-1928) would be called a “late-bloomer” in today’s slang. He was […]

November 13, 2023 – 11:44 am | By Paul Kuritz | Posted in Acting, Books, Dance, from Paul, History, Music, Opera, Quotations, Theater, Theology | Comments Off on LYRIC OPERA OFFERS BREATHTAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL JENUFA