I heard many great reviews for Candlelight, but the Candlelight: From Bach to The Beatles performance I recently saw surpassed all expectations. It was simply wonderful.

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston, Illinois, was the perfect place for the performance. Completed in 1914, St. Luke’s was built based on designs by architect John Sutcliffe in the English-Revival style. Rich in history, it contains a Skinner Opus 327 organ installed in 1922. The altar reportedly contains sealed relics from Saint Joachim. Many carvings and etchings adorn the walls.

Escorted to our front row seats, we found ourselves within several feet of the altar which held hundreds of already-lit candles surrounding four seats. Soon a quartet of musicians, each holding a stringed instrument, took those seats.

The leader gave a short explanation of the upcoming music. For the next hour, the quartet played several tunes from the Beatles with a few classical pieces in the mix. Aside from brief statements about the songs, the quartet moved seamlessly from one piece to the next. The acoustics were incredible.

The setlist of the evening was

• “Cello Suite No. 3 Prelude” by Johann Sebastian Bach
• “Blackbird” by The Beatles
• “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles
• “Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles
• “Yesterday” by The Beatles
• “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik: Allegro” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• “Help!” by The Beatles
• “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles
• “Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67” by Ludwig Van Beethoven
• “A Day in the Life” by The Beatles
• “Strawberry Fields Forever” by The Beatles
• “Suite Bergamasque: Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy

Just when we sadly thought the evening was ending, the foursome gave us a little surprise gift of a rousing rendition of “Hey Jude,” another classic by the other Fab Four.

Being a fan of The Beatles since my teenage years, I can be a bit persnickety about others performing their compositions. Candlelight put my fears to rest with the first sounds of “Blackbird.” I am quite sure John, Paul, George and Ringo would approve, as would Bach and his fellow composers.

Created by Fever, Candlelight concerts feature live music performed by local musicians surrounded by thousands of candles. Chicago is just one of more than 100 cities worldwide where Candlelight concerts are held. In addition to St. Luke’s, Chicago’s Stan Mansion, Wicker Park Lutheran Church and Arts Center of Oak Park are a few of the other beautiful Chicago-area venues.

Charleston Candlelight © Fever

Detroit Candlelight © Fever

Rome Candlelight © Fever

Candlelight: From Bach to The Beatles is just one of many features. Candlelight has tributes to composer Hans Zimmer, The Beatles, Queen, Coldplay, Adele and basically every genre of music. After experiencing my first Candlelight performance, I am looking at the long list of future music and venue options.

— John Wroblewski, podcaster